Old Soldiers and their Memorials

· July 12, 2010 · 4:21 pm · Misc., Tree care

Old Soldiers and their Memorials Jason Kenney
Have you ever listened to a tree guy talk? Ever notice how they refer to trees with statements like “Look at that big guy!” or “Wow, she’s a beauty!” or even one of my favorites “Look at that old soldier?” Once you’ve spent enough time in the trees, you begin to realize that they have their own unique “personality” traits. Trees have a story to tell us, if we’re just willing to listen to them.
Trees are living fossils, living history. Ever looked at a tree stump to count the rings? Those rings are the trees biog-raphy as well as a history of weather patterns the trees has endured. Scientists are cur-rently using satellite imagery to find the remaining virgin forests and taking core sam-ples of the trees in these re-gions to tell the history of our weather patterns. You can tell by the width of a tree’s growth ring whether or not there was adequate rainfall or a drought. The wider the ring, the greater the living
conditions were for that tree. The smaller the ring, the more harsh the living conditions were for that tree. These cen-turies old trees are providing us with a more complete his-tory about rainfall cycles and what we may expect from our weather in the future.
So, how does this pertain to you? You can use trees to commemorate things in your life. Plant a tree with your children or grandchildren. Watch the tree grow as they grow. It’s a great way to teach children the benefits of stewardship. As a father of three, I’ve planted a tree with each of my children and thor-oughly enjoy watching them experience the pride of having a permanent effect on their world. I smile when I find them smelling blossoms, plac-ing G.I. Joe in the branches like their crazy father or see-ing a bird nest for the first time in their tree.
Trees also make a great me-morial for loved ones. My
children play and swing be-neath the outstretched arms of a large Oak that carries the same looming shadow as did my Great Uncle Tommy who fought for his country during World War II. As an arborist and an American, I am plant-ing a Sawtooth Oak in honor of our brave soldiers who fought and are still fighting in the current war with Iraq. I’m looking into having some signs made to mark them so that one day, long after I’m gone, someone gazes up through their canopy and re-members what some great men and women endured. Maybe, just maybe, they’ll think about what they can do to honor their world in the same manner that these living giants and the people they were planted in remembrance of have done. I for one can only hope that I’ve made an impact on people’s life as large as the trees have made on mine.■

Old Soldiers and their Memorials Jason KenneyLearnfrom themistakes of others,You can never live long enough to make them all yourself.-AnonymousRuel Jones / President Mark Smith / Crew LeaderKim Cross / Consulting Arborist Jason Kenney / Crew LeaderISA Certified Arborists on StaffHave you ever listened to a tree guy talk? Ever notice how they refer to trees with statements like “Look at that big guy!” or “Wow, she’s a beauty!” or even one of my favorites “Look at that old soldier?” Once you’ve spent enough time in the trees, you begin to realize that they have their own unique “personality” traits. Trees have a story to tell us, if we’re just willing to listen to them.Trees are living fossils, living history. Ever looked at a tree stump to count the rings? Those rings are the trees biog-raphy as well as a history of weather patterns the trees has endured. Scientists are cur-rently using satellite imagery to find the remaining virgin forests and taking core sam-ples of the trees in these re-gions to tell the history of our weather patterns. You can tell by the width of a tree’s growth ring whether or not there was adequate rainfall or a drought. The wider the ring, the greater the livingconditions were for that tree. The smaller the ring, the more harsh the living conditions were for that tree. These cen-turies old trees are providing us with a more complete his-tory about rainfall cycles and what we may expect from our weather in the future.So, how does this pertain to you? You can use trees to commemorate things in your life. Plant a tree with your children or grandchildren. Watch the tree grow as they grow. It’s a great way to teach children the benefits of stewardship. As a father of three, I’ve planted a tree with each of my children and thor-oughly enjoy watching them experience the pride of having a permanent effect on their world. I smile when I find them smelling blossoms, plac-ing G.I. Joe in the branches like their crazy father or see-ing a bird nest for the first time in their tree.Trees also make a great me-morial for loved ones. Mychildren play and swing be-neath the outstretched arms of a large Oak that carries the same looming shadow as did my Great Uncle Tommy who fought for his country during World War II. As an arborist and an American, I am plant-ing a Sawtooth Oak in honor of our brave soldiers who fought and are still fighting in the current war with Iraq. I’m looking into having some signs made to mark them so that one day, long after I’m gone, someone gazes up through their canopy and re-members what some great men and women endured. Maybe, just maybe, they’ll think about what they can do to honor their world in the same manner that these living giants and the people they were planted in remembrance of have done. I for one can only hope that I’ve made an impact on people’s life as large as the trees have made on mine.■

 

 

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