Squat, homely¹, dwarfed² by the stately oaks and poplars nearby and unnoticed by the tourists passing in horse-drawn carriages, it's a tree that only birds and nut-hungry squirrels could love.

But on Thursday, the 100-year-old European beech³ on Central Park's Cherry Hill was the center of attention - chosen by New York city officials as the first of 25 "historical" trees to be cloned as part of a plan announced last year to add a million new trees to streets, parks and public spaces over the next decade.

Agriculture students from a Queens high school rode hydraulic-powered tree-trimmers' buckets to upper branches of the 60-foot tree and snipped⁴ off 6- to 12-inch sections of new growth, to be sent to a scientific tree nursery in eastern Oregon. If all goes well, the genetic⁵ copies will be sent back in two years to New York for replanting.

"We want to break the stereotype⁶ of New York as skyscrapers⁷ and sidewalks," Parks Commissioner⁸ Adrian Benape said. "New York abounds⁹ in historical trees."

The target trees include nine different species. All were selected by borough¹¹ foresters as historical for having existed for at least a century - either as fixtures¹² of the urban landscape or as having special significance to local communities.

City partners in the cloning effort include the Central Park Conservancy, a private group that manages the 840-acre park; Bartlett Tree Experts, a century-old Connecticut-based company that has tree care contracts in New York, 25 other states, Canada, England and Ireland; the nonprofit Tree Fund, and the Coleman Co., a camping equipment maker¹³, whose coolers would be used to ship the cuttings to Oregon.

David McMaster, a Bartlett vice¹⁴ president, said the cloning would target several "Olmsted trees," dating from the creation of Central Park by famed architect Frederick Law Olmsted in the late 1850s.

Benape said being less than beautiful had no bearing on the European beech tree's potential contribution to a greener Gotham.

"Like the other trees to be cloned, it has withstood the test of time and the indignities¹⁵ of urban life," he said. "These trees as a result tend to be hardier¹⁶ species, inherently disease resistant¹⁷. They are a great reaffirmation of the importance of nature in New York City - trees so good that people are looking to clone them."

 它矮小平凡，旁边高大笔直的橡树和杨树让它相形见绌；坐着马车从它身边经过的游客都不会瞅它一眼，可能只有鸟儿和想吃松子的松鼠会喜欢它。

而本周四，位于樱桃山中央公园的这颗百年欧洲山毛榉树成了众人关注的焦点——它被纽约市政官员选入25棵首批“克隆古树”。“古树克隆”项目是纽约市政府去年公布的百万植树计划的一部分，纽约计划在未来十年内在市内街道、公园及公共场所增加100万颗树木。

皇后区一所中学的农业系学生们乘坐液压修树吊车抵达这颗高60英尺的树的顶端，从新枝上剪下6至12英寸的树枝，这些被剪下的新枝将被送往位于俄勒冈州东部的一个树木科研诊所。如果一切顺利，克隆成功的树将于两年后送回纽约种植。

公园委员会主任阿德里安•贝纳普说：“我们的目的是改变纽约到处都是摩天大楼和人行道的旧貌。纽约市内有很多古树。”

将被克隆的树包括九个不同品种。由各区林务员挑选出的所有古树的树龄至少为100年。这些古树有的是城市景点，有的则对当地有特殊意义。

“古树克隆”项目的合作方包括：中央公园保护处，该私人机构负责管理市内的840亩公园；巴特雷特树木专家公司，这个位于康涅狄格州的公司已有一百年历史，它与纽约、其他25个州以及加拿大、英格兰和爱尔兰都签有树木护理合同；非赢利组织树木基金会以及科尔曼露营设备制造公司，剪下来的树枝将装进该公司生产的冷却器运往俄勒冈。

“巴特雷特”树木专家公司的副总裁大卫•麦克马斯特说，将被克隆的古树中还包括几棵“奥姆斯特德树”，这几棵古树种植于中央公园创建时期，中央公园于19世纪50年代末由著名建筑大师弗莱德里克•劳•奥姆斯特德树创建。

贝纳普说，欧洲山毛榉长得不够好看不要紧，不会影响它发挥绿化纽约的作用。

他说：“与其它将被克隆的古树一样，它经历了时间和风雨的考验。历尽岁月风雨后，这些树的耐寒能力和自身抗病能力都会增强。它们是自然重要性的“伟大见证”——人们认识到树木的重要性，甚至想能对它们进行克隆。”

Vocabulary:

abound¹⁰ in:充满……（例如：He abounds in courage. 他很有胆量。）