Guardians of Earth
Who decided that some plants are flowers and should be nurtured and treasured and some are weeds and need to be pulled, chopped, burned, shoveled, in other words, destroyed? I realize that I have a hierarchy of preference. When I see a tree being climbed by a vine; in my mind the vine needs to go, to save the tree! I have often seen trees slowly destroyed by strangling vines. How do I know which is better? For me, trees are the elegant saviors of our planet. An acre of trees provides oxygen for eighteen people to breathe for a year. In my youth I climbed huge trees as far to the top as I could go. There was something magical about climbing the branches as if on some kind of personal tour of nature. When I got to the top, I spent a long time looking as far as I could see.
Right here in Virginia the trees are making their amazing autumnal display of beauty again. This feels spiritual, that there is some force guiding the orchestra of color and I can almost hear music when out in the forest. Whenever I see a logging truck carrying a full load of logs, I feel a twinge in my gut. Like a crime has been committed! There may be acceptable reasons for the tree cuttings. It might even benefit the forest. All over the world in places like the Amazon the trees are being ravaged. Many are cut down to create pasture land to raise cattle. The methane from the beef is destroying our planet. Some say more than all the autos in the world.
Right now, I am sitting in the midst of a two acre property with a large home in the midst of hundreds of tall trees. I feel protected by these wonderful giants. I am taking a moment to bless them and all the trees on Earth. May the humans, find a way to live without destroying our forests and our oxygen. This might be a wonderful cause for those of us who love trees. Let’s get active and find out how to save our beloved forests. From my thankful heart to yours, Thomas