Friday, October 13, 2017

Trees ~ So Stalwart!

Writers have written:
Trees are poems that the earth writes upon the sky.”
All our wisdom is stored in trees.”
Solitary trees, if they grow at all, grow strong.”
In a forest of 100,000 trees, no two leaves are alike.”
In nature, nothing is perfect and everything is perfect;
trees can be contorted, bent in weird ways...and they're still beautiful.”

Martin Luther: God writes the Gospel, not in the Bible alone, but also on the trees, and in the flowers and clouds and stars.
Khalil Gibran: If you reveal your secrets to the wind, you should not blame the wind for revealing them to the trees.
Warren Buffet: Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.

Under trees, the urban dweller might restore his troubled soul
and find the blessing of a creative pause.” (Walter Gropius)

Jane Goodall: Chimpanzees, gorillas and orangatans have been living for hundreds and thousands of years in their forest, living fantastic lives, never over-populating, never destroying their forest. I would say that they have been more resourceful than us as far as being in harmony with the environment.
It is easier to FEEL than to realize or in any way to explain
Yosemite grandeur! The magnitude of rocks, trees, streams and waterfalls
are so delicately harmonized, they are almost hidden.” (John Muir)

Modern Day Message: Suburbia is where the developer bulldozes out the trees...then names the streets after them. (Bill Vaughan)

My interest to write this article was piqued by a recent “Rhymes With Orangecartoon showing 9 or 10 weeping willows in a small woodlot ~ very graceful long branches arching toward the ground. The beginning small box entry to the cartoon shows a miniature 'weeping willow' saying to himself, “I weep for affection!” A man walking into the cluster of weeping willows and after reading the sign, goes and hugs the first willow he sees, placing his arms securely around the trunk...and suddenly, all the tree's branches rise to point skyward with “happy-tree-smile faces”. Another man seeing this 'miracle' notes and remarks, “That's Cool! And now we need to hug all the weeping willows!”
(Of interest: The 'weeping willow tree' has a lifespan of about 50 years).

 Raindrops that are falling to the ground
 from the drooping branches resemble 'tears'.
 (Their elongated leaves are green on the upper side
 and white on the bottom side.)

The Greening of Hamilton Will Make Us All Feel Better!
(Excerpts from an article by Carmela Fragomeni)
TREES HAVE BEEN CALLED the lungs of the earth for purifying the air. They are said to reduce flooding and erosion. They improve water quality and provide habitats for wildlife...and for humans, they enhance good mental health. Cathy Plosz, natural heritage planner with the city stated, “A lot of studies show people feel better if they are looking at trees.” So Hamilton is about to embark on forming an ambitious strategy to increase Hamilton's urban tree canopy from less than 18% to 30%.
Plosz said Hamilton is uniquely lucky to have those forests...
and tree enthusiasts and environmentalists couldn't be happier
with the prospect of an urban forest strategy.
Jenn Baker with the Hamilton Naturalists Club, said, “We're one of the last municipalities in southern Ontario to have one.” (Currently, there are about 400,000 trees within the city road allowance...and an estimated 150,000 in city parks and cemeteries.)

Coming to Canada: A few years ago, a couple left their homeland in Argentina to locate a place to live in Burlington and begin businesses from their university skills. I assisted their accommodation to an apartment downtown for convenience to walk, shop or bus and to enjoy Spencer Smith Park and Lake Ontario's waterfront.

Their 4thfloor apartment faced north; and delighted they were with the superb balcony view:
On the horizon, is the bluish escarpment line and; what is special to us both is the canopy of trees totally covering the downtown residential homes...like a treed blanket covering all below!" 
  
The Trees in Burlington Invited Me to Come,”...says a resident in a Senior's complex. He had worked and lived in several areas throughout Ontario. After retirement he sought a place that was 'high on nature' and discovered Burlington for its trees, trees, trees! A street near his current home is mostly tree-lined with branches forming an overhead leafy covered arbour from spring to late autumn under which to walk, bike or drive. “In autumn, when the trees are colourfully dressed, the experience is that of a sunburst rainbow of many hues!' he said.

Ten Most Beautiful Forests in the World
Sagano Bamboo Forest, Japan: a magnificent forest west of Tokyo.
Giant Sequaia National Monument, California, U.S. located in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
Redwood National Park, California, U.S. These trees are the most massive tree species on earth.
Black Forest, Germany: in a wooded mountain range bordered by the Rhine Valley. The name was given by the Romans who referred to the forest blocking out most of the sunlight.

Crooked Forest, Poland: oddly shaped pine trees, first planted in 1930 with about 400 pines.
Jiuzhaigou Valley, Sichuan, China: Its Valley of Villages is noted for its many-level waterfalls.
Montiverde Cloud Forest Resrve, Costa Rica: Consists of over 2500 plant species, including orchids.
Daintree Rainforest, Australia: Probably the oldest tropical rainforest on the planet.
Amazon Rainforest, South America located within 9 nations (60% of it in Brazil).
Olympic National Forest, Washington, U.S. It is the wettest place in continental United States.

Prediction by Enos Abijah Mills
The forests are 'the flags of Nature.' They appeal to all generations, inspiring universal feelings. Enter the forest...and the borders of nations are forgotten. It may be that sometime an immortal pine will be the flag of a united peaceful world!”
Look deep into Nature and then you will understand
everything better. (Albert Einstein)

Compiled by Merle Baird-Kerr...October 4, 2017

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