Wood Facts A Series Friday

[Dawie]

Let's go new today. Could not find whether there has been a newer discovery so if I'm wrong on this one forgive me.
David

The most recently discovered tree specie is the Wollemi Pine, {Wollemia nobilis}. It was discovered in September 1994, by, a New South Wales National Parks officer named David Noble in a secluded area in the Blue Mountains of the Wollemi National Park, approximately 124 miles west of Sydney Australia. The total count of the wild mature trees is fewer than a hundred. The largest one is a little over 131 foot tall and a little short of 4 foot in diameter. The species is from the Araucariaceae family of conifers which are around 200 million years old, one of the oldest on earth.

In October of 2005, 292 five year old, 6 foot 6 inch to almost 10 foot tall cultivated Wollemi Pine trees from the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney Australia, were auctioned off by Sotheby's Auction House, selling from $2000 - $7000 each, with one bidder paying $115,000 for a set of trees. The auction took in $1.17 million.
http://blog.wollemipine.co.uk/blog/_archives/2008/8/19/3845403.html

[Marcellarius]

thanks David, this one probably wont end up on the scrollsaw 

[Mainewoods]

Interesting!  Thanks again David!