- Eastwoodhill’s ambitious arboreal ark and tree cathedral.

Martin Weaver’s ark will not boast biblical proportions, but it will certainly be one for the ages.

Although curator Martin Weaver likely doesn’t bear much of a physical resemblance to Noah, he’s equally committed to his project. “For trees, a living collection is much the best protection,” says Martin, a UK-trained arborist who joined Eastwoodhill in 2019. “Seed banks have a role, but not all seeds freeze – acorns, for instance, won’t germinate if they’ve been frozen.”

Eastwoodhill, near Gisborne, has 103 species and more than 600 specimens of trees classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as extinct in the wild (three), critically endangered (16) or endangered (39), as well as multiple specimens of four of the five critically endangered ash species, all nine critically endangered Monotypic species, and three of the seven endangered Cupressus species.

Among the rarities are Mulanje cedar (Widdringtonia whytei), the national tree of Malawi with only 25 left in the wild; yellow-flowered Camellia impressinervis; Alnus henryi, an elder native to Taiwan; Boise araucaria (Araucaria nemorosa), found only on New Caledonia; and the California native, Torrey pine (Pinus torreyana).

Martin describes Eastwoodhill as “one man’s obsession and one man’s gift”.

Douglas Cook bought the land in 1910, intending to farm it. After his return from World War 1 though, he began planting trees, inspired by visits to the estates of relatives in Britain while convalescing from war wounds.

His vision aligns completely with today’s arboreal ark, although for different reasons. In the 1950s, worried by the threat of nuclear war in Europe, he planted northern hemisphere trees as an insurance, resulting in the largest collection of northern hemisphere trees in the southern hemisphere. That insurance is still valid as climate change ravages tree growth, survival and regeneration around the world, at the same time creating extended ranges for diseases and pests.

To help navigate the choppy waters ahead, US landscape architects Nelson Byrd Woltz have prepared a 100-year Master Plan. Leading the work was Thomas Woltz, who says he knows of no other collection in the world that has the breadth of Eastwoodhill.

Martin believes ground-growing all the arboretum’s 15,000-plus trees has been an advantage. “If they survive, they thrive,” he says. “I think that gives us an edge internationally, where collections or large parts of collections are grown under cover.”

The plan will mean unpicking the random schema created by Douglas Cook, who famously (infamously?) enjoyed working naked (apart from a gumboot on his digging foot), kept few records, planted haphazardly and often planted too close together, with themed eco-zones.

“Visitors will be able to travel through six continents as they walk around Eastwoodhill,” Martin says with, for instance, trees of Asia in one area and those of Europe in another. “It will let us tell the story of a tree or family of trees more effectively. Education is key for us.”

Arborists are undertaking a visual inspection of every tree in the collection, a task last carried out about nine years ago, with one outcome being to make the data available online. “We’re sitting on a huge resource for research,” Martin says. “The value of this collection will never truly be recognised until we’re called on to help reintroduce a tree to its native habitat. To do that, overseas institutions need to be aware of us and our potential to assist.”

Launched last year, Trees for Our Future is a fundraising campaign to support the ark project.

And what would Martin do with a cash windfall? “Easy. Employ two more propagators, two more climbing arborists, researchers, gardeners and grounds people.” Other targets include a multipurpose centre and laboratory.

“Our isolation is a double-edged sword,” Martin says. “On the one hand, because we’re in a remote part of a country that’s in a remote part of the world, we don’t have big problems with tree disease. On the other hand, we run at an annual deficit because we don’t have enough paying visitors. Fortunately, the trust was set up in a way that allows us to balance the books, but we would like to see more people here.”

The 131-hectare national arboretum at Eastwoodhill will, over the next century, gradually turn into a arboreal ark.

Eastwoodhill is about 35km from Gisborne, open daily 9am5pm. Entry: $12 per adult; $12 per senior; $12 per student; $2 per child 5-16. Accommodation available. Phone: 06 863 9003. Website: eastwoodhill.org.nz.