We have been spending a lot of time in the woods the last couple of weeks. In preparation for the maple season, we have been trudging up hill and down dale amidst the trees, looking for repairs to be made in the maple tubing system and spending a lot of time with trees. We rely mightily on maple trees at the farm this time of year, with the sap providing us with a significant part of our annual income. I appreciate trees, and actually thank these big, magnificent beings for their held. Lots of folks talk to plants, I talk to even bigger plants. Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist and other religious faiths hold trees as important spiritual entities and symbols, so I don’t think I am out of place thinking trees are pretty special.
Robert Frost, one of my favorite poets, was born in a city and died in a city, but much of his poetry, even before he lived at his New Hampshire farm, referenced trees and forests. “Birches,” and “Tree at my Window” are a couple of my favorites, but “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” holds my favorite poetic line; ”the woods were lovely, dark and deep.” Many poets wrote about forests, trees and the natural world, Michael Chapman sang about trees and there is even a tech game called “Among Trees.” Ancient Celtic Druids thought trees were sacred and held wisdom. The message at a church I attended last week was about trees.
When my daughter and I were on a recent trek through the woods as we looked for missed maple tubing and mainline breaks, we stood by a large pine just off the trail that was moaning, and we think, talking to us. It wasn’t very windy, but it must have been rubbing against another tree. We were half-serious when we joked that the tree was talking to us as we tried to record the sound on our phones and it stopped every time as though insulted that we were trying to catch it speaking. Maybe it was speaking to us.
In this world of loud sound, I think it is essential that we turn off the loudspeakers and practice “Stopping By Woods” to clear our minds, listen to nothing but the wind in the trees and the rustle in the leaves, step back out of the bustle and breathe. And if it weren’t for trees respiring, we wouldn’t have the oxygen we need to do that breathing. The complexity and variety of trees is astounding, the complexity of their life cycle is amazing, and the biology of their daily and seasonal cycles is awe inspiring. Something we take completely for granted as we hurdle our personal life bumps and scream down our asphalt highways and think about everything else but the natural order of things, trees are an invaluable resource in our daily lives not just for “stuff” but for our souls. There is something deeply spiritual in the trees and forests, no matter your religious or philosophical beliefs. We rely on the trees for lots of our needs: flooring, buildings, kids’ blocks, writing paper, fuel for stoves, even toilet paper, but we also rely on trees for that shade when it’s hot, that landscape when we vacation, that little bit of quiet when we sit on a park bench or take a hike. Without trees, we would truly be lost.
I love that many urban spaces provide parks for wandering amongst the trees, trees planted to shade walkways and for a spot of natural beauty in the unnatural world of pavement, glass and concrete, trees in the lobby of hotels. I love that New England is covered by forests and is an escape for the hustle and bustle of our friends and family that live in urban areas. I love that we were able to conserve our farm and woodlands so it can be enjoyed as a place of natural resilience in the future, but I am afraid for our forests and trees. In other areas of the world and even our own country, forests, like farmland, are disappearing in the face of progress. Large swaths of forests are burned and razed in countries to either create open land for farming and feeding nations or for development in urban sprawl. I don’t like the monicker “development” which to me invokes progress and building something better, as I see the loss of forest land as anti-development. This does not mean I am against the harvest of trees. A good forest plan that keeps the forest growing, harvests before fully mature trees die back and keep a balance of various species at various stages of growth for animal habitat and future productivity is essential as well.
When you are feeling lost, when you are feeling anxious, when you are feeling grateful, when you are feeling sorrow or joy, turn to the trees. Find a quiet spot to relax, calm your soul and listen to the trees for a minute. Maybe there is a druid tree like our pine tree that will speak to you.
Becky and her husband are the eighth generation to own and operate Beaver Pond Farm in Newport, New Hampshire. You can reach her at [email protected].
