LEWISTON – Members of the Junior Naturalist Program of the Stanton Bird Club adopted some special trees with the help of city arborist Steve Murch.

Along the north side of Lincoln Street, the city has planted ginkgo trees and ornamental pear trees. Students in grades two through eight have each adopted one of the trees.

Over the next several years, they will monitor their tree and record the data for their height, the height of the tree, the diameter of the tree trunk, health of the leaves, seasonal changes and habitat conditions, including soil, air quality, pollution, companion plants in the same area and vehicle damage.

The ginkgo trees are particularly interesting. Here are a few facts the Juniors would like to share:

It is the only surviving species of that class of tree. It is literally a living fossil of the Mesozoic period. Other than city ornamentals, it is found naturally growing on steep hillsides in southern China.

The extract of ginkgo is widely used as health-related remedies for many infirmities from asthma to Alzheimer’s disease.

It has two other names: maidenhair tree, due to the shape of the leaves looking like maidenhair fern, and stink-bomb tree, due to the rotten meat smell of the fleshy female cone when it is bruised or crushed.

During the dry weeks of August the Juniors regularly watered their adopted trees.