Trees
But the place I grew up in always looked this way...it's natural.
Watch this video for a moment; it might just explode your brain. They are explaining how valuable burnt trees were to Americans 200 years ago and why.
In addition to all of the things we needed trees for specifically, the ash of burnt trees was so incredibly valuable (because the old world had already used up their own trees) that we were exporting it. Ash.
Now, you really need to hear what Lyla June has to say about our land. It will also likely be very shocking, because I doubt you learned this in grade school.
Native Americans were ranchers and gardeners on a scale you probably never realized!
Also, if you're feeling frustrated with the world, afraid of what the future will bring, if you've been displaced or personally affected by fires, floods, tornadoes, or drought, then you need to hear the hope she will give you.
They did it once, and together, we could do it again, albeit in different ways to incorporate modern needs. In fact, it is already being done by concientious farmers and ranchers who want to leave a better legacy for thier families, by philanthropists, and organizations. You & I can join in, too.
So, within the space of about 300 years, some of our European ancestors violently removed the caretakers who had been sustainably ranching, farming, and preserving the landscape, and then we cleared the land of trees for farming and used the trees as commodities for a great many things. If you watched the first video, you now remember or understand that Europeans needed the New World desperately, because they were already out of trees.
Just think about the Dust Bowl of the 1930s for a moment. We experienced a severe period of drought and lost much of the topsoil that had been building for thousands of years, and that richness simply hasn't been replaced in our lifetime. The expensive fertilizers we use today may only last a single growing season for the crops grown that year, so now that we have lost the treasure of our old topsoil, we are constantly paying the price year after year to maintain ever-diminishing soil fertility.
Anyone born during the 1930s would be in their 90s today, so there aren't very many people left alive who would remember those days. That also means that most people born since then only know a world where the landscape was barren and struggling to recover, and they think this is normal. Kids these days look at the land during a plane ride, and it's very similar to the pictures I showed you on the Sea Level Rise page, and that is the only thing they've ever known about our country.
Now think about the Old World settlers. They were coming from places that were already devoid of trees, a barren landscape that was all they knew since childhood, and bringing the very same mindset and attitude to America that got THEM into this mess in the first place. Ponder both the conscious and subconscious mindset and attitude many of us have inherited from those who went before. The lack of longterm perspective and self-awareness of the grand-scale consequences of our actions.
Now, really think about what it was like to live 200 or even 300 years ago. I'm going to drop a bunch of pictures below to help you visualize the magnitude of this topic, and I'm not going to include Native lifestyles here because we're talking about the lifestyle that was installed in America rather than the one that previously existed.
First of all, people needed housing, and many were made of trees. This is a modest cabin from 1860s Texas.
Here's a fancier one from 1730s Massachusetts. The first official Census was in 1790; by then, there were already about 4 million colonists!
Inside the homes, people needed furniture and decorative elements, and these were also made of wood.
Every piece of antique iron you see, hoes, plows, pots, axes, nails, and more, took a ton of trees to produce.
No matter where in the world it's found, anytime you see ancient or antique pottery, it took trees to fire for hardening and glazing.
Barns were needed for livestock and farm storage. Fences and other outbuildings were built as well as equipment and transport.
From canoes to seafaring ships with huge masts, storage barrels, oars, docks, and more required wood, tar, pitch, and resin.
Industry was starved for wood as well; whether it was for textile equipment, grain mills, brewers, crates and food storage, we needed wood for it all.
People needed to stay warm and cook food. PSU estimates the average family used about 1 acre per year for heating/cooking needs.
Trees were burned for potash and pearl ash then used for soapmaking, textile processing, and glassmaking in later years. That's not just for colonists - they were exporting it back to the Old world as well.
“By the 1790s, New England was exporting 36 million feet of pine boards and 300 ship masts annually” - Defebaugh, James E. History of The Lumber Industry of America. Vol. 2. Chicago: American Lumberman, 1907. 17"
Forest History Society: "1681 William Penn's ordinance for the Pennsylvania colony required that, in clearing land, settlers leave 1 acre in trees for every 5 acres cleared. This provision was not long enforced."
Hopefully, you are beginning to realize how significantly American industry, massive exports, daily life, and agriculture have changed the face of the landscape from coast to coast over the past 200-300 years. We haven't even talked about things like mining (which required timbers in the tunnels and railcars etc), breadmaking and commercial cooking, and weapon making for multiple skirmishes and wars that took place. We haven't talked about ongoing repairs and maintenance to structures and equipment, either.
Now consider that it may take a fast-growing species of pine tree 25-30 years to reach maturity and be large enough for lumber uses. As we moved across the land clearing old growth forests containing trees which were old and very thick in diameter, we eventually needed more and more trees than before to make up for the fact that newer trees were smaller in diameter. Oak trees may take just as long or longer to reach maturity. Maple, Birch, Ash, Cherry, and more were needed for both our own use and for export.
Most importantly, we should understand that trees play a vital role in the water cycle of many climates. If that surprises you, take a moment to watch this video:
When trees are removed from an environment en masse, there is a triple whammy of dryness that happens. First, the mechanics for condensation and transpiration are removed and the surface air becomes drier. Second, the ground that was once protected from both sunlight and to some degree wind is now exposed to both, which causes surface moisture to evaporate in air that is now even drier than before. Finally, as the extensive root system dies off, the carbon that had been stored for potentially hundreds of years is used up and the ground is compacted, becoming hardpan without constant effort and input from above, then water just flows away, instead of down into storage.
No longer a sponge, no longer a moisture collector, no longer cleaning air particulates, no longer a natural check dam for flowing water, new rains leave the system far more quickly, enabling drought conditions to spiral out of control. The mitigating effect of extreme temperatures is also lost, further shocking the surrounding environment.
The great news is, we can resolve this in so many places, in so many ways, but first, it needs to make fundamental sense to the average person why we desperately need to plant more trees. The average person living in the suburbs or urban areas, born less than 50 years ago, might not have any concept of what has gone before, what changes have brought us to the conditions we're experiencing today.
Many of us now live and die solely on developed land, where trees are often considered a nuisance to be cleared and removed, and that is a mindset that needs to be examined. Trees have inherent beauty and value, and trees can have economic value, and trees can mitigate multiple climate effects. In some cases, trees don't even need to be cut down to be harvested. Coppicing is still a common practice in Europe to spare trees while still obtaining firewood or wood needed for tools, implements, and furniture. Some trees produce fruit and nuts. They can provide shade and windbreaks to reduce energy bills or help protect urban pedestrians from heat illness.
We are in a multiple-crises situation now; drought, sea level rise, species collapse, wildfires, and more. It will take so much effort and so many different activities to climb out of this hole, but on a basic level if people could band together to make trees a more integral part of the developed environment, we could begin to to repair the damage more quickly. We, just you and I and some friends, coworkers, neighbors, or just family. We don't really need much! Nature is programmed to survive, and we really don't need to expend as much effort as you might thing to help preserve species. We just need to start by not actively destroying them.
Call To Action:
Do you work at a local company? Look around the lot and determine if trees could safely be planted to shade a parking lot, to provide free food for employees and their families, or even to create more visual interest. In some cases, planting an area of trees, shrubs, and native perennials can reduce maintenance costs for extensive lawns, a savings that can pay for itself in as little as one year. Pitch the benefits to coworkers and management, obtain approval, then start a collection and see if your employer will match funds to purchase trees or plants from a local nursery.
Do you go to Church? Look around the lot and determine if trees could safely be planted to shade a parking lot, to provide free food for the congregation and their families, or even to beautify church property. In some cases, planting an area of trees, shrubs, and native perennials can reduce maintenance costs for extensive lawns, a savings that can pay for itself in as little as one year. Pitch the benefits to your church officials, obtain approval, then start a collection to purchase trees or plants from a local nursery.
Do you live in an apartment? Look around the lot and determine if trees could safely be planted to shade a parking lot, or to provide free food for residents. Make sure to avoid plants that are toxic to people and pets (such as trees in the Oleander family). In some cases, planting an area of trees, shrubs, and native perennials can reduce maintenance costs for extensive lawns, a savings that can pay for itself in as little as one year. Pitch the benefits to your apartment manager, obtain approval, then start a collection with your neighbors to purchase trees or plants from a local nursery.
Do you go to school? Do you own a quarter acre or more? Do you have a large farm or ranch? Are you a member or employee of a Town's or City's Government? No matter what your role is in our society, there are ways you can increase greenspace in the places that matter to you in your local community. It simply takes the will to act and a modicum of research or just talking to a nursery specialist, and then a small amount of money. We aren't trying to send a rover to the Moon, here! Just planting a few trees and perennials. That doesn't need to take millions of dollars in government funding or a GoFundMe account. This is easy stuff, we can do this, one tree at a time.
