I was late getting out to walk this morning. The sun already was well up in the sky and I found myself looking ahead to the patches of shade, using them as a series of cool stepping stones back to my house. Thank goodness for the trees!
It made me sad for the good people of Oakmont, Pennsylvania, whose golf course was purposefully deforested before the 2016 U.S. Open. A return to the original course design, the management said. Maybe that’s true or maybe the designer just didn’t have a green crayon. Maybe he just sketched in the 18 holes and the trees were implied. Either way, it seemed a gigantic waste to cut them down.
It put me in mind of Dr. Seuss’ Lorax, that fuzzy little guy who took it upon himself to speak for the Truffula trees that were eventually (spoiler alert) mowed down into extinction by the Oncelers.
I’m a tree hugger. I admit it. But really, what’s not to love? Besides the aforementioned shade, trees serve as wind blocks for homes on the prairie and plains. They provide nesting space for birds and squirrels. Trees give us apples and oranges and cherries, plums and peaches and pecans. The Oakmont Country Club might have a nifty 19th hole, but it doesn’t grow olives and lemon zest.
And trees are just pretty. Mimosa and magnolia trees burst forth with flowers in the spring and summer. People pay big money to board bus tours and view the fall foliage of the maples and birches. Sure, in the winter some trees go bare, but that’s because they’re resting up for next year’s miracle production. They’ve earned it. And if you’re not impressed with that, consider the evergreens that just soldier on through the ice and snow.
The biggest reason to speak up for trees is that they’re responsible for all that photosynthesis magic. They take our expiration output and transform it into oxygen so we can breathe once again. That’s inspirational, in both senses of the word.
Of course, trees do have their flaws. During windstorms, their limbs can break loose and come crashing through your windows. When we have too much rain, their roots can’t always hold their ground and they topple over power lines. The bus people don’t want to hear about it, but all those beautiful colored leaves eventually fall and have to be raked up and bagged. They clog up storm drains and gutters. And if you’re not an animal lover you might not be excited about sharing your space with birds and squirrels.
There are two sides to everything.
I’m struggling right now because my personal trees are making it impossible for grass to grow in my backyard. The shade is great for my hostas and impatiens, but grass? Not so much. We’ve tried all kinds of seeds, laid down several types of sod, but, still, the mulch-area/grass ratio keeps getting bigger. The solution, I’ve been told, is to cut down some of the trees, and I’m having a hard time with that.
I know, I know, my trees would go on to provide lumber to build houses and paper and cardboard, but their leaves will never again sway in the breeze. My birds and squirrels would have to relocate. Either that or they’d crowd into the remaining trees and tempers would surely flare and there’s enough squabbling at the bird feeders already.
No, I think I’ll keep my trees. Cooling shade below, 50 shades of green above. It’s something even a Onceler should love.