Trees for Life, by Gary Walker, Naturalist and Arborist - Part 2
Trees are amazing survival mechanisms. They say Oaks grow a hundred years, live a hundred years and die a hundred years. But the oldest living things on earth are the Bristle Cone Pines native to some of the mountains of California. Think in terms of thousands of years old, with some predating the great pyramids of Cairo, Egypt. The oldest known Bristle Cone Pine, called the Methuselah tree (so named after the longest lived person in the Bible, Methuselah), is known to be in excess of 4,700 years old! Giant Redwood and Sequoia trees also can live for thousands of years as well. “Generations pass while some tree stands, and old families last not three Oaks.” -Sir Thomas Browne
Even the oldest/longest lived trees, like all living things, don’t last forever. They fall to the earth and their decay lays the groundwork to host and feed the succeeding generations. “Gather ye rosebuds while ye may, old Time is still a-flying: And this same flower that smiles to-day, to-morrow will be dying.” -Robert Herrick. The great Bard put it this way: “When lofty trees I see barren of leaves, Which erst from heat did canopy the herd, And summer’s green all girded up in sheaves, Borne on the bier with white and bristly beard.” -Wm. Shakespeare
Trees, not surprisingly, are the largest living organisms on our planet with some of the great California Redwoods reaching heights in excess of 350 feet with the tallest of them over 370 feet with their bark (which is basically insect and fire repellent) over one foot thick! Next time you’re on the 37th floor of a tall building, imagine yourself being at the top of one of these giant Redwoods which exceed the height of the Statue of Liberty in N.Y. Harbor. Consider this: a typical Redwood forest contains more bio mass per square foot than any other place on earth, including the Amazon rain forests. Also, since pretty much all bio mass, particularly trees, are photo-tropic (lean towards the strongest light source), fallen Redwoods have been known to sprout numerous vertical trunks, themselves trees in their own right, off the fallen/horizontal trunk/parent tree. These titanic, larger than life and awe inspiring giants seem other worldly when you stand in their midst. Being in a cathedral of giant Redwoods is an ineffable and completely unique spiritual experience.
If you’d like to read an amazing and true story about a group of daring college students who recently pioneered the climbing and botanical study of giant Redwoods, pickup a copy of the best selling book, ‘The Wild Trees’ by Richard Preston. This book will tell you about how these intrepid pioneers climbed and slept at the tops of these majestic giants and how they discovered strange worlds of plant, animal and insect life high up in their crowns/canopies. Spending reflective time in a giant Redwood forest can be every bit as humbling and transcendent as gazing at the Milky Way on a clear summer night, which is why we must protect them from further degradation.
The rapid and widespread deforestation of large tracts of old growth trees (over 97% in the United States alone are gone!), which leads to the catastrophic destruction of vital watersheds and animal habitat should greatly concern all peoples worldwide. Trees, which significantly effect many things, including our weather and general quality of life, need strong and intelligent protections from the agressive forces of greed and ignorance that would destroy them for temporary monetary gain. As the poet Bryce Nelson said: ‘People who will not sustain trees will soon live in a world that will not sustain people.”
So...what can we do to help out? Plant trees, shrubs and flowers! Plant them in your yard. Offer to plant some in a neighbors yard. Get your children involved. They’ll love it and the whole family can watch them grow along side the kids. See if you can plant trees in public places. I got permission from the Park Ranger at a local park years ago to plant trees in the park, and to date I’ve planted at my own expense, over thirty trees (deciduous and evergreen) to help beautify the park and help the environment. The trees you plant today will help everyone tomorrow; they’ll live on for many generations as your generous legacy to future inhabitants of Spaceship Earth. Trees truly are one gift that keeps on giving. Now…get planting!