THE MOST IMPORTANT TREE OF ALL

I was on my way to the valley where we once owned a cabin for many years. As I was driving, I saw it. I am sure I have seen it lots of other times. It was just a glimpse as I was driving by. Why did it bother me so much then? It was just a bulldozer knocking over a tree. That happens all the time in today’s world. We need more housing developments, convenience stores, banks, and shopping centers, don’t we?

People have always cleared fields of trees. They did it to grow crops or raise cattle so they could feed their families. The trees were used for firewood to keep them warm. Now, they push over trees and burn them to get rid of them. When the shopping centers are done, people take their families there to feed them or shop.

What amazes me is to see developers clear the land of trees for a new housing complex and then name the streets after them. Oak Street, Maple Lane, Hickory Drive. Then, people who buy the houses go to the local home improvement store or nursery to spend hundreds of dollars on small trees to plant in their yards that will take years to grow as big as those that were once there.

As I kept driving, I kept thinking about all the memories my wife and I had made with our family at our cabin surrounded by all the trees of Mark Twain National Forest. I also tried to listen to what the guy on the radio was saying. But, I kept seeing the bulldozer pushing over that tree. Why couldn’t I get it out of my mind? It was just a tree.

Maybe it bothered me so much this time because I am getting older and wiser. Well, I am older anyway. My mind takes me back to when I was a kid growing up on grandpa and grandma’s farm. I would spend all day wandering around in the woods. The trees hid me from all the Indians that were after me. I dodged their arrows as I ran from tree to tree. My imagination entertained me back then. I didn’t need television, video games, or smartphones like kids do today. 

I would climb into a tree’s comforting arms and soak in the wonders of the woods, or just daydream. I can still remember an odd-shaped limb, a weird knot, the feel of the bark. I wonder if some of those trees are still there. I wonder if my initials are still carved in them. I remember the chatter of the squirrels as they gathered nuts to store away. I remember the bird’s songs as they flittered around me as I lay in the limbs of the tree’s comforting arms.

As I got older, I would head to the woods with my dog Bo and my little single shot .22 that I bought with money I had earned from doing chores around the farm. I still have that gun and the memories of knowing I only had one shot so I couldn’t miss when that squirrel ran out on a limb. We didn’t have a lot of extra money to be buying more .22 shells and that squirrel was supper back then.

Thank God my kids and grandkids grew up enjoying the woods like I did. They too discovered the wonder of the woods, climbing trees, and carving their initials in a tree. My granddaughter would pose for pictures on a grapevine swing and play on them with our grandsons from Wisconsin when they came to visit.   My grandson loved to hunt squirrels and explore.

I still enjoy hiking in the woods enjoying the kaleidoscope of fall colors or looking for mushrooms. For many years, I still climbed trees but it was to sit in a treestand waiting for a deer to walk by. I am getting old so I don’t do that anymore. Our grandkids have married and moved away. Our sons are busy with their own lives. I still have all the wonderful memories.

My thoughts are interrupted by what the guy on the radio said, “And God created the heavens and the earth.” He also created all the trees didn’t he?

I should not let that bother me about seeing a tree pushed down. After all, I have cut down trees too. When we had our cabin it kept us warm during the cold of winter. Parts of some of the trees were magically transformed into hiking sticks, candle holders, lamps, coat racks, and lots of other things in my workshop.  We still enjoy the warmth of a wood stove at our home.

I am wise enough to know that if your home is shaded by trees, your air conditioner won’t run as much and you will save money on electricity. You might even be able to open your windows and enjoy a fresh breeze sometimes. Cleaning the gutter, picking up limbs, and raking leaves is a small price to have to pay.

Even my 5-year-old neighbor buddy can tell you that the more trees you cut down, the less oxygen you have. Oxygen – you know the stuff that helps you breathe. One large tree can provide a whole day of oxygen for up to four people. They also help reduce blood pressure, improve emotional and psychological health, provide sun protection, and reduce exposure to airborne pollutants.

There are many other benefits to having trees in your yard. A mature tree can add up to $10,000 to the value of your home. A single tree, over a 50-year lifespan, is worth nearly $60,000 in other benefits. Now, multiply that number of trees in your yard. If, you have trees in your yard. A cool summer breeze through the trees and the relaxing sound of wildlife in the trees is also a great bonus.

Trees are also important to the wildlife that use them. Birds and squirrels build nests, turkeys roost, deer rub, woodpeckers peck. They feed on the nuts, berries, and insects they provide.

Fish and other aquatic species rely on trees for shade along their watery homes. When a tree eventually falls into the water, it will provide fish habitat and safety from predators.

I pass our cabin, now enjoyed by another family, cross the creek, and pull into the field by the old barn in the valley. A song is playing on the radio. I am not upset anymore. I look around at all the trees and smile as I listen to the words. “He grew the tree that He knew would be used to make the old rugged cross.” That was the most important tree of all.