Happy Arbor Day, National Tree-planting Day!
Tomorrow is Arbor Day in the United States, but Arbor Day is marked all over the planet on different dates. Since the early 1800s, communities have set aside a special time to plant and nurture trees, a civic action of the public sphere for a modern era. But tree planting is an ancient practice, sometimes a sacred one -groves come to mind- and sometimes a civil one such as planting a line of trees to control the path of fire. My hometown of Memphis hosts an old-growth forest, one of the only urban remnants of these 10,000 year old oases.
Last week was Earth Day, also a global celebration, but a new one, and one that was made for the express purpose of celebration and declaring that our planet matters to us. I believe that common intent can have an impact on what is possible, and so I tend to give my nod to Earth Day, and move on from it.
I have heard it said that the best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago and the second best time is today. To plant a tree is an action of hope. It is a blessing to those who will benefit from it as it grows.
Many faith traditions hold trees to be sacred, or imbued with the holy. Some Buddhists ordain the trees themselves. In the Judeo-Christian tradition, trees are often an image of God’s vision of bounty and healing for all nations. Islam holds haram the cutting of trees that provide shade and shelter. Famous environmentalist John Muir called nature God’s cathedral, and one need not claim a faith tradition at all to feel the resonance of majesty and the fullness of life in the presence of trees.
We know that our planet is in crisis, and going through massive changes due to the human effect, the impact we have had on earth and its ecosystems. We are desperate for a science-based fix to our climate crisis but a single mature tree sequesters nearly 50 pounds of carbon a year, and produces over 250 pounds of oxygen. One tree. Forests are essential for global health, and trees are crucial for us to thrive.
But we see trees as ultimately expendable, a reasonable sacrifice.
At least, that’s how we treat trees here in the US. Want to build a new parking lot? It’ll only cost a few trees. Need a home expansion? That 150 year oak has to go. Want to improve your view? Just clear out all that annoying foliage.
Globally, things are getting rough as well. Fossil fuel industry expansion has led to rapid deforestation of the Amazon, for example, and with the massive fires there in 2019, the region produces more heat now than it removes. Forests are disappearing. The change is stark over the last few decades, as you can see on this Google Earth timelapse compilation.
I grieve when a community allows trees to die, but I am trained as a city planner. I get it. Sometimes, trees have to come down. It would make these decisions less stark and dangerous if a complementary policy required municipalities and other jurisdictions to replace those trees elsewhere. Trees are also good for public safety, and many studies have shown that the presence of vegetation and trees reduces certain types of crime.
But I rage when individual property owners kill trees on commonly held land, especially when they desecrate deeply environmentally sensitive land. This happened last week on the Mississippi River bluff in Memphis. It happened in early April in Arkansas. It happened in Santa Barbara last month. This wanton destruction of trees by wealthy unaccountable homeowners is a symptom of a society that simply does not honor trees as we should.
And so it’s up to the rest of us.
Working together for our common life, for that is the only way any one of us can survive.
Doing the hard work of change, for that is the only way we can forge a different path.
Planting trees side by side, for that is the only way the future has shade.