LIVING FOSSIL Sarah This is the Tower Valley stop. We should tell you about some of the really fine trees here. Alex All the trees here are interesting. We have at least 6 red plaques from our Tree Trail here. Sarah I like number 18 the Sitka Spruce. They show just how useful trees can be. Native Americans fashioned beautiful water-tight hats and baskets from the roots, as well as ropes, fishing lines, and twine to sew boxes and baskets. The native people used softened resin to waterproof their boats, harpoons and fishing gear. The resin also provided an effective medicine for burns, boils, and other skin irritants. Anthony And that is all before we have done a single thing with the timber. Alex I like number 19 the Dawn Redwood. To the Chinese this tree is second only to the panda as a conservation icon. Until 1941 it was thought to have been extinct for 20 million years. Then these redwoods were found growing in Sichuan. Curiously for a pine tree they shed their leaves in autumn. SCOUTS Anthony My great grand-father the 8th Lord Powerscourt Mervyn loved to walk amongst these fabulous trees . He was a friend of Lord Baden–Powell and Chief Scout of Ireland. He invited scouts and guides from across the country to discover the estate and camp here. He could view all his scouts from the Pepperpot Tower before the trees grew too high. Scout troops still camp on these grounds today. Sarah There is a family action quest at the Pepperpot Tower that gives some interesting information about it.