Perhaps because they're a big part of every Christmas season, trees have been on my mind lately. When not decorating our homes, trees are life-sustaining and long-lasting but vulnerable to fire-prone temperatures as well as the constant construction that is happening in my world. I have watched healthy trees cut down and seen the snaggly dinosaur teeth of machinery yank out roots with no thought to the importance of a tree. Mitigating climate change, trees remove carbon dioxide from the air, storing the carbon within the tree itself and the surrounding soil, to then release oxygen into the atmosphere. This is one reason why Canada has plans to plant 2 billion trees over 10 years. Below are a few modest, some might say hallowed, trees in my neighbourhood.
Trees provide us with an array of gifts.
People find santuary under trees; some pin their starry-eyed wishes onto the branches.
Trees offer shade from the sun and a canopy when it rains.
Strong branches can make the perfect swing, inviting young and old to be playful.
Some trees bear apples and others baubles.
Even when leaves fall, bare branches sway in the breeze with unwavering symmetry.
Trees decorate the sky with little fanfare, softening the harshest parts of solar glare.
Woodsy trees have many uses.
Lumber is the major resource for home builders and birds alike.
Many items can be created from the warm woodiness of a tree.
Most fences in British Columbia are, indeed, crafted from wood.
Trees have a clever way of replicating themselves.
Pets are attracted to trees like bees to honey.
Many in my neck of the woods prefer big trees to big houses.
A walk among the trees brings us back to our oneness with nature.
Trees need to be rooted in proper soil to accomplish the jobs they were meant to do. We don't want them to burn or fall in a storm. It was many years ago when Franklin D. Roosevelt said:
"A nation that destroys its soils destroys itself. Forests are the lungs of our land, purifying the air and giving fresh strength to our people."
