It’s National Arbor Day, a day to celebrate trees!
As a forester, I cannot tell you the number of times I have been asked “what is your favorite tree?” This answer has eluded me through the years. There are so many amazing trees, from Giant Sequoias to ancient Bristlecone Pines. However, all of this changed for me when we moved to our home and I found the most amazing tree.
Our breakfast table overlooks an enormous dead tree with no top on it. It stands there like a sad withered pole within a forest filled with lush green. Nearly the first morning we ate at the table, we saw a Barred Owl nimbly land on the top and duck into a cavity for her daytime nap. We were in wonderment of the owl and that she chose to make home next to ours. Immediately, anticipation of her morning return became the highlight of our breakfast table. Not long after first noticing the owl’s home in the old tree, we heard the constant knocking of a woodpecker on the tree. It was hard to believe that the owl could be sleeping through such a ruckus. Then we started to notice the squirrels that favored the dead tree for stashing their daily food treasures. A fox comes by a few times a week and makes a stop at the tree. I assume it is to see if a chipmunk would make the mistake of being out at the wrong moment. Finally, our oldest son was digging around at the base of the tree and showed me all the “bugs” he had found. There were dozens living in the dead wood at the base of this dead tree from earthworms to millipedes, an entire tiny food chain.
We had realized that this tree was not dead but was teeming with life! Quickly this dead tree became our family’s favorite place to spot animals and my favorite tree. Our entire family cherishes this old pole.
There have been so many people who have visited us and ask about the tree. However, they never ask about all the things we see. They only want to know when we plan to cut it down. Usually this is paired with a follow up statement like, “aren’t you worried it will fall across your driveway,” “Do you think it could hit your house,” or “wouldn’t it make good firewood?” The answer to all of these questions is, yes. I would hate to be late for work IF it falls across our driveway or IF it damages your house. However, living in fear of the “IFs” doesn’t outweigh what it is- An amazing piece of our complex world.
As a society, we try to tame nature and minimize nature’s impacts on our lives. This one tree is a constant reminder of the interconnection of everything. This tree not only provides a unique habitat in our urban environment, but it is a reminder of the the beautiful complexity that exist around us. It raises the question of whether we should choose to try to conquer nature or embrace it. Even though some of our neighbors, friends and family don’t see the intrinsic value of the tree, we are choosing to take one little step to embrace nature. Conquer nature or embrace it?- a question we should all wrestle with.
