Tree Champions: Shot Put

From 6 - 8 June, Westonbirt's learning and participation team will be hosting the Tree Champions family event. The event will include a trail around some of our own Olympic champions - our trees and shrubs - as well as some great Olympic-themed craft activities with a woody twist! Here, the team reveal some of the Tree Champion facts you can discover at Westonbirt…

Eucalyptus

Eucalyptus trees are known to explode during forest or bush fires.

On warm days, eucalyptus oil vapours rise above the trees giving the Australian bush a blue haze from a distance.

The vapours are highly flammable and bush fires can easily travel through the oil rich air, the flames jumping from tree to tree.

Blue gum eucalyptus needs fire to prepare the way for the next generation – during a fire their seed pods open and when the tree explodes, flammable material flies hundreds of feet in all directions together with the seeds.

The seeds land where its competition has been eliminated.

Useful links

Become a member of the Friends of Westonbirt Arboretum

More about Westonbirt’s family events