Historic Cherry Tree Observatory Faces Replacement as Climate Changes

Liestal's legendary wild cherry tree, used for agricultural timing since 1894, requires replacement due to accelerated blooming patterns

The Liestal wild cherry tree has been used as an agricultural timing reference since 1894
The current tree is actually a replacement from 1968, when the original tree died
The tree is blooming two weeks earlier than the 131-year average due to climate change
Efforts are underway to either clone the current tree or use a nearby tree as replacement

131 years

Length of continuous flowering documentation

25%

Current blossom opening rate

2 weeks

Earlier blooming compared to historical average

"As of today, around a quarter of the blossoms have opened"
— Susanne Kaufmann, biologist

"Although it still flowers regularly, it now looks terrible"
— Susanne Kaufmann, biologist

Historic Significance

The Liestal wild cherry tree has been used as an agricultural timing reference since 1894
The current tree is actually a replacement from 1968, when the original tree died
The tree is blooming two weeks earlier than the 131-year average due to climate change
Efforts are underway to either clone the current tree or use a nearby tree as replacement