This lonely tree defied the odds to break records

A pictured provided on 23 December 2020 shows visitors standing in front of a Sitka spruce tree, the world's most remote tree which known as Ranfurly's Sitka, on Campbell Island, some 700 kilometres south of New Zealand.

Wellington (dpa) - On Campbell Island, some 700 kilometres south of New Zealand, grows a single Sitka spruce tree.

More than 250 kilometres from any other tree, it is recognized as the world’s most remote tree, beating the elements to grow up all alone in the wild winds of the subantarctic island.

Campbell Island is one of the cornerstones of New Zealand’s subantarctic realm, giving the spruce the title of the country’s southernmost tree, too.

Some call it "Ranfurly’s Tree" as it is believed that Lord Ranfurly, who was governor-general of New Zealand from 1897 until 1904, planted the tree on the remote island around 1907.

However, the tree’s origin is still contested, with scientists as yet unable to determine its exact age.

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University of New South Wales research associate Jonathan Palmer travelled to the island in a bid to discover when the tree was planted.

However, the tree kept its age a secret, as the core samples taken by the scientists did not reach the pith.

“Given how fast the tree is growing, I don’t personally believe it was planted as early as 1901,” Palmer told dpa.

Mark Crompton, a weather observer, is considered an "old hand" when it comes to the island, as he has been on numerous expeditions to the area, spending about seven years there.

A plaque to commemorate the tree was erected in 1989, when then governor-general Paul Reeves visited the island. Crompton recalls it mentioned a 1907 planting date.

“However, the plaque didn’t last two weeks because it was bowled over by sea elephants and sea lions,” Crompton says.

Spruce trees are native to the west coast of North America, and are normally found between Alaska and California.

“So Campbell Island’s spruce is a long way from home,” says Crompton.

Palmer agrees, noting the “ironic thing” is that the tree is an introduced species on a protected island.

“It is there because of historical reasons, but strictly speaking, it should be removed, as it has the potential to produce seeds and create a problem,” he says.

The tree is monitored by conservation authorities but no viable seeds or cones have been found.

Heritage Expeditions, established by botanist Rodney Russ and wife Shirley, has been travelling to the area since 1984.

The pair wanted to share the beauty of the world with people, increasing awareness and conservation of the natural world through responsible expedition travel.

Their son Aaron now owns the business, alongside his brother, and shares that same conservation passion.

He said the spruce tree “never reached its full glory” as according to rumours, scientists on the island would take the top off it each year to use as a Christmas tree.

“While it is physically unremarkable, it is culturally important,” Russ says.

Such trees can grow up to 100 metres tall in ideal conditions, but Campbell Island is not known for its weather.

It rains on average 325 days a year and records only about 600 hours of sunshine annually.

“Absolute misery sums it up. Persistent low cloud and drizzly weather prevails,” Crompton says.

The tree is healthy, but barely reaches 10 metres in height, Crompton says.

“It’s squat and spread out because it’s continually battered by the wind.”

The tree also serves as a chronicler, as its wood recorded the radiocarbon produced by above ground atomic bomb tests, according to a study published in journal Scientific Reports in 2018.

Researchers found the tree’s samples provide a potential marker for the start of the Anthropocene, or the point in time when human impact started to have a significant impact on our planet.

The island as a whole is an important conservation site, luring conservationists and scientists back year after year.

“Campbell Island is a treasure of the world, New Zealand is just fortunate to be its custodian,” says Russ.

Home to abundant wildlife and impressive subantarctic flora including mega herbs, it is also home to a lonely, record-breaking tree that keeps on defying the odds.