Sadly this tree has not surviced and was cut down in 2025. But I will leave the story here, because I think it is interesting and there are people who will remember this tree too. Sometimes it helps to see what we have lost to appreciate what we have. Tree's are life, the live their cycle then they die, rejuvenate the earth and the cycle is reborn. This Belgium Elm at the Timaru Botanic Gardens split in two during the Wahine storm (the second biggest storm to strike NZ in the last century), but was managed to be rescued when a steel rod pinned the trunk back together, and the tree recovered over time. See if you can find a odd looking patch of bark where the rod was driven through.
