In an unexpected summer storm, I dashed underneath an old valley oak and looked up at its thick, furrowed trunk pushing upwards to the sky, the hail bouncing off its spatulate leaves. I was another among thousands of creatures who have sought refuge here.
Trees are so familiar to us, but too often, we view them simply as objects, background or products, incapable of awareness, memory, feeling, perception or intention. An inferior, uncomplicated life form, there for our use as paper, a Christmas symbol, weapons, charcoal, building material, medicine or furniture, to name just a few uses.
Old-growth woodlands and rainforests are far more complex and remarkable than we imagined, offering indispensable value to our climate and environment. Scientists are still catching up with their ways and capabilities. I’ll share some astonishing things I have learned, which unfortunately don’t apply to farmed, corporate tree plantations or one-off street trees.
A tree would laugh at our perception of time, based upon the tiny window of human existence. My sheltering tree could live 600 years; others many thousands (such as the bristlecone pine). The first real tree evolved around 370 million years ago (homo sapiens, around 300,000 or more).
Beach, spruce and oak trees all register pain as soon as some insect creature starts nibbling on their leaves. This triggers the tree into releasing a defensive chemical that makes their leaves toxic or unpalatable; or like elms, even attracts parasitic wasps to destroy the pest. Through the vast network of tree roots and fungi in a forest, trees communicate the danger to sister trees, who respond with similar defenses.
Individual actions matter
Trees are social beings, and some species can even share nutrients with an ailing sister tree. They lean on each other for stability and protection against wind and snow. They seem to have an awareness of water scarcity and adapt to survive.
Trees and forests are, without a doubt, the best carbon capture technology in the world.
Forests act like giant air filters by cleaning out pollution and releasing tons of oxygen into the air. No wonder walking in one seems so fresh! Our battle against le changement climatique centres around carbon dioxide release and fossil fuels. Trees and forests are, without a doubt, the best carbon capture technology in the world.
The opposite is also true: The wholesale destruction of woods and rainforests is causing the release of carbon, typically due to illegal logging, irresponsible farming and wildfires caused by extreme drought (part of the new abnormal of climate change).
I believe individual actions matter, and that we’re powerless only if we do nothing. It’s a small thing, but immense if it catches on, to plant a tree!
I inherited a mature oak, a weeping willow and two olive trees on my patch, but I have added more each year. In five years, I’ve established a mini orchard of apples, pears, apricots and peaches. Now I’m adding a paperbark maple, and soon, a starter witch hazel, both noted for their amazing aspect in winter. These trees are gifts for my spirit, and something to leave behind that will grow to maturity without me.
I want to experience life, rather than simply consume. So, each day, I awaken my senses outdoors, walking among my magical, precious friends—trees!
«LECTURE CONNEXE» PASSEZ PLUS DE TEMPS DANS LA NATURE : S'imprégner de la nature réduit le stress, améliore les fonctions cognitives et rajeunit le sentiment de soi".
image 1: Pixabay
