Trees are my focus for this month. How can we not think about trees in October? They are turning beautiful hues and showing us how nice it can be to let go.
Trees have also been on my mind because I recently attended a lecture given by Joan Maloof, author and founder of the Old-Growth Forest Network (OGFN). The mission of the OGFN is to connect people with nature by creating a national network of protected, mature, and publicly-accessible native forests.
The organization was created because many of the old-growth forests were being logged, developed or otherwise destroyed. The OGFN strives to preserve the remaining old-growth forests in thousands of counties in the United States so all generations can experience a real forest and its native biodiversity.
Joan’s lecture was given at Haverford College, which hosts an arboretum and some amazing specimen trees. After her lecture I felt inspired and decided to take advantage of the opportunity to sit underneath an elm tree that was a direct descendent of the Penn Treaty Tree. What a magical experience that was. Incredibly peaceful and calming. A ‘stop and smell the roses’ kind of moment.
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| Official designation for the Haverford Elm |
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Sitting under the Penn Treaty Elm
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Looking up into the branches
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Another amazing tree I saw recently was located in Tarrytown, NY at the Lyndhurst estate, former home of New York City mayor William Paulding, Jr., merchant George Merritt, and railroad tycoon Jay Gould. Check out this awe inspiring weeping beech tree! You can barely see me in the photo.
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Lyndhurst’s enormous weeping Beech
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My next stop to admire trees was Boise, ID – known as the City of Trees. Boise is set in the foothills, which typically consist of grasses and sagebrush, not trees. Early homeowners were encouraged to improve their property with shade trees, which they did.
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The tree-lined Boise River
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Trees all over the world have great lessons to teach. I’m certainly not the first to observe this fact. Oscar-winning actress Judi Dench loves trees so much she produced a documentary called ‘My Passion for Trees’. Filmed over the course of a year, the documentary studied trees throughout the seasons and helped Judi use science to tell the stories the trees can’t tell on their own. Judi saw trees in a new light and learned how they communicate with each other and deal with adversity. For Judi and for me, trees aren’t just trees. They are a community of living things who support each other and help us as human beings.
I hope you’ll join me in living life according to some advice from a tree:
Advice from a Tree
Stand up tall and proud,
Sink your roots into the earth,
Be content with your natural beauty,
Go out on a limb,
Drink plenty of water,
Remember your roots,
Enjoy the view!
Ilan Shamir
Thanks for the well-conceived advice, trees. And thanks all’s for your shade, and your fruit and your beauty while you clean the air.
I'm so glad I'm not the only one who talks to trees. Like you Bobbi, I am grateful!
On the last day of the world, I would want to plant a tree.
– W. S. Merwyn, 1927-.
Nice. Love it.