Implantable tree burial inventor Wang Xuefeng in the operation demonstration
After being placed in the storage device, protective treatments such as disinfection, antibiotics, and healing agents should be applied to ensure that tree growth is not affected.
□ Dahe News Yu video reporter Cai Junyan Wentu
On the morning of December 12, an "innovative ecological tree burial experiment" - implantable tree burial experiment was held in FushouYuan, Henan. Dahe Newspaper Yu video reporter saw at the scene that in the Henan Fushouyuan Tree Burial Garden, which has been held for 14 consecutive sessions of Zhengzhou Public Welfare Ecological Tree Burial Activity, on the trunks of four large poplar trees with a diameter of more than 30 centimeters, the sign of "Implantable Tree Burial Experimental Tree" was hung, and below the sign, a small piece of square bark was cut, and the bark was lifted, and it can be seen that there is a transverse tree hole with a diameter of about 4 centimeters and a depth of 10 centimeters. Here, it is the "core" of the implantable tree burial experiment, and the tree hole will be placed in the ashes storage device.
"At first a lot of people were against me!" Wang Xuefeng, the inventor of implantable tree burial, told reporters that implantable tree burial has innovations and also faces some doubts, and he believes that this innovative way of finding inspiration from medical "plants in the human body" has positive significance for promoting green funeral reform and is worth trying.
Implantable tree burial experiment, how to do it?
How to do implantable tree burial experiments? At the scene, Wang Xuefeng, inventor of implantable tree burial, and He Liangliang, doctor of Zhengzhou Institute of Fruit Research of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, gave an operation demonstration and explanation.
The two men walked in turn to four implanted burial experimental trees, uncovered the cut bark, and placed a cylindrical aluminum alloy placement device containing ash substitutes into the transverse tree hole drilled earlier, and then sealed the bark.
"Next, a series of measures are taken: disinfection, application of auxin, some healing agent, closure, and complex protective treatment to ensure that the growth of trees is not affected." He Liangliang said that usually, after two months, the bark can heal well, and people still see the "complete tree".
According to reports, the experiment lasts for 4 months, and the growth of trees will continue to be tracked and recorded, and used as a basis for judging the success of the experiment.
"Although the experiment of putting an ashes placement device in a tree hole is the first time, the bark restoration technology in this area has been experimented with in forestry and horticulture, and the technology is relatively mature." He Liangliang said that this is because the trunk is composed of bark, phloem, xylem and core four parts, the organic matter transport of tree growth is mainly based on phloem, xylem mainly plays a supporting role, implantation does not affect nutrient transport and substance exchange, as long as the timely repair of the bark heals, the growth of trees will not be a problem. Of course, the management and protection of trees in the later period will be more strict and complete.
Where did the inspiration for implantable tree burials come from? Derived from "plants in the human body"
At the scene of this innovative ecological tree burial experiment, the most excited person is Wang Xuefeng, the inventor of implantable tree burial. He said that he has been applying for patents in recent years and has obtained a utility model patent called "a storage device for ashes for tree burials".
"I found inspiration from the 'plant in the human body' that is often used in the medical field, and I think it can also be applied to the funeral field." Wang Xuefeng said that plants in the human body, such as heart stents and human joints, are now widely used to reflect biological inclusion.
Wang Xuefeng has been concerned about ecological funerals for many years, and has been thinking about not only preserving the function of memorial and commemoration, but also a more economical, ecological and long-term ecological funeral method, and the implantable tree burial that suddenly came to mind can provide new solutions for further promoting ecological festival burial through clever combination.
"At first, many people were against me, and through gradual communication, I hope that more people can understand my ideas." Considering the rigor of science, Wang Xuefeng also deliberately found professionals in the fields of medicine and agricultural science to seek technical support and verification. This experiment is to verify how much implantable tree burial affects tree growth.
So, what are the requirements for implantable tree burial for tree species selection? Where to find enough trees? How do I resolve follow-up issues that may arise?
For these people's concerns, Wang Xuefeng said that about 90% of ordinary street trees, fruit trees and other tree species can be implanted tree burial. The length of the ashes storage device for the experiment is 10 cm, and the trunk diameter of the experimental tree is required to be more than 30 cm, if it is promoted in the later stage, the size of the ashes placement device can be more flexible, and the choice of trees is greater. In addition, implantable tree burials try to choose relatively fixed trees, and can also be transplanted or reimplanted.
Implantable tree burial, what do you think?
When it comes to tree burial, many Zhengzhou people are not strangers. From 2008 to 2021, the Zhengzhou Public Welfare Ecological Tree Burial, co-sponsored by the Zhengzhou Civil Affairs Bureau and others, has been held in Henan FushouYuan for 14 years, and has held a solemn public welfare ecological burial for about 1,500 deceased people from 1,100 families for free, so that life will last forever in green.
Since 2019, Zhengzhou public welfare ecological tree burial has uniformly adopted the method of using degradable urns and burying the ashes of the deceased in the lawn under the tree to meet the basic needs of the masses for ecological funerals, truly realize the recyclable use of land, let the deceased return to nature, and pay more attention to humanistic commemoration.
At the scene of the innovative ecological tree burial and the implantable tree burial experiment conference for future generations of Fuyin, many guests stood solemnly under the guidance of the staff and paid a silent tribute to the forerunners of tree burial by offering flower baskets and silent mourning.
"We provide a large tree in the tree burial garden and support the implantable tree burial experiment, hoping to carry out a new ecological tree burial experiment with a scientific attitude and a sense of awe, and explore a new way of civilized green funeral." The relevant person in charge of Henan Fushouyuan told reporters.
For this implantable tree burial experiment, many guests expressed their support, believing that this is a good thing to promote funeral reform, hoping that the experiment can be successful, and carry forward this innovative way to contribute to the promotion of funeral reform.
"I hope to take this opportunity to strengthen communication and exchanges between science and technology workers and funeral workers, let science and technology empower funeral work, and let science and technology help green development." Wang Qingbin, a guest attending the meeting, believes that the storage method of ashes in implantable tree burial is an innovative achievement of epochal significance, which is of constructive significance to the promotion of ecological burial and contributes to the harmonious development of man and nature through a "very mysterious way".
In the interview, some citizens have doubts about the way of implantable tree burial, some people believe that the public welfare tree burial that does not retain ashes has been carried out in Zhengzhou for 14 years, and thousands of families have participated in it, indicating that the public is gradually accepting this ecological funeral concept, implantable tree burial to retain ashes, how much is contrary to the advanced ecological funeral concept of not retaining ashes, but also cutting and drilling holes in the tree, if it is promoted in the future, it is worried that it will affect the growth of trees.
Some people also believe that the promotion of ecological funeral reform is a gradual process, during which the acceptance of the public is uneven, the need to meet the diverse funeral needs of the people, implantable tree burial in the appropriate preservation of the deceased ashes, taking into account the mood of relatives to remember at the same time, to promote green funerals, civilized funerals have a certain positive significance. "How the results of the implantable tree burial experiment are, it will take time to test, whether it can be promoted also depends on the attitude of the government departments and the general public, if the experiment is successful and can be promoted, for the public, there is also one more choice."