Trees Moon trees, trees that talk, and more

As I drove along St. Regis road and State Route 37 this past week I noticed that some of the trees are beginning to show some color on their branches. This is a very welcome site. It tells me that warmer weather is on its way. The colors are a very pale yellow to green and red because the buds are just beginning to swell.  Trees are not only aesthetically beautiful, they are extremely environmentally important to all living things. Trees alter the environment in which we live. They moderate our climate, they improve our air quality, they conserve our precious water, and they harbor the Creator’s wildlife. They control climate by moderating the effects of sun, wind, and rain. The sun’s radiant energy is absorbed or deflected by the deciduous tree’s leaves in the summer and is filtered by branches of deciduous trees in the winter. We can stand under a tree in the summer to be cool and in winter the leafless trees allow the sun to warm us.  We value the sun’s radiant energy in the winter, so we should plant only small or deciduous trees on the south side of homes. Trees affect wind speed and direction. The more compact the foliage on the trees or groups of trees, the greater the influence of the windbreak.  Heavy rainfalls, sleet, and hail is deflected by trees making them protection for people, pets, and buildings. Trees greatly intercept water by storing some of it therefore reducing storm runoffs and flooding. Dew and frost is less common under trees because less radiant energy is released from the soil at night. Trees, shrubs, and grass improve air quality. Leaves filter the air we breathe because they remove dust and other particulates. Leaves absorb carbon dioxide from the air. This absorbed carbon dioxide forms carbohydrates that the plant uses. In this process, the leaves also absorb air pollutants such as ozone, carbon monoxide, and sulfur dioxide, and they importantly give off oxygen. By planting or keeping trees and shrubs by our homes we return to a more natural and healthier environment. Insect eating birds return to the area, a natural cycle of plant growth occurs, and decomposition is again present above and below the ground. All of this restores the natural harmony Mother Nature and our Creator intended for the Earth’s living beings. I believe it is fitting to insert a quotation by, Henry David Thoreau (July 12, 1817 - May 6, 1862). Thoreau was an American author, poet, historian, philosopher, and naturalist. He is best known for his book, “Walden, which was a reflection on simple living in natural surroundings. Henry David Thoreau is quoted as saying,

“If a man walks in the woods for love of them half of each day,

he is in danger of being regarded as a loafer.  But if he spends

his days as a speculator, shearing off those woods and making

the earth bald before her time, he is deemed an

industrious and enterprising citizen.

Thank God, they cannot cut down the clouds!”

The following are some interesting tree facts:

1. Trees receive approximately 90% of their nutrition from the atmosphere and only 10% from the soil.

2. Trees grow from the top, not from the bottom as is commonly believed. A branch’s location on a tree will only move up the trunk a few inches in 1000 years.

3. Trees never die of old age. They are killed by insects, disease or by people.

4. Arbor Day was first observed in Nebraska in 1872. That state is now home to one of the world’s largest forests planted by people - over 200,000 acres of trees

5. Some trees in a way “talk” to each other. When webworms and caterpillars attack willows, they emit a chemical that alerts nearby willow of the danger. The neighboring trees respond by pumping more tannin into their leaves, which makes it difficult for the insects to digest the leaves.

6. Knocking on wood for good luck originated from primitive tree worship. It was believed then that rapping on trees summoned protective spirits in the trees.

7. Trees induce rainfall by cooling the land and transpiring water into the sky from their leaves.

An acre of maple trees will put as much as 20,000 gallons of water into the air each day.

8. The amount of oxygen produced by an acre of trees per year equals the amount consumed by 18 people annually. One tree produces nearly 260 pounds of oxygen each year.

9. One acre of trees removes 2.6 tons of carbon dioxide each year.

10. Shade trees make buildings up to 20 degrees cooler in the summer. Trees lower air temperature by evaporating water in their leaves.

11. Tree roots stabilize soil and prevent erosion.

12. Trees improve water quality by filtering rainwater, and by protecting aquifers and watersheds.

13. Trees and other plants make their food through a process called photosynthesis.

14. The inside of a tree is made of cork, phloem, cambium, and xylem. The xylem of a tree carries water from the roots to the leaves.

15. The world’s tallest tree is a coast redwood in California, measuring more than 360 ft.

16. The world’s oldest trees are 4,600 year old Bristlecone pines in the USA.

17. Dendrochronology is the science of calculating a tree’s age by its rings. Tree rings provide precise information about environmental events, including volcanic eruptions.

18. When going camping of hunting, one should never take along firewood.  Firewood should never be moved because invasive insects and diseases could be given a free ride to a new territory. Just one example of a pest moving in firewood is the emerald ash borer.

19. Tree topping should never be done! It is perhaps the most harmful tree pruning practice known. Yet, despite more than 25 years of literature and seminars explaining its harmful effects, topping remains a common practice. Other names for topping include “heading,” “tipping,” “hat-racking,” and “rounding over.” The most common reason given for topping is to reduce the size of a tree. Homeowners often feel that their trees have become too large for their property. People fear that tall trees may pose a hazard. Topping, however, is not a viable method of height reduction and does not reduce the hazard. In fact, topping will make a tree more hazardous in the long term. Topping stresses trees (I have even seen trees wrongly topped by hired tree trimmers here in Akwesasne)

Last of the tree facts:

20. There are “Moon Trees” all around the world. Moon trees were grown from hundreds of tree seeds taken in small containers to the moon by Stuart Roosa, Command Module pilot of the Apollo 14 mission of January 31, 1971. The Apollo orbited the moon several times on the first few days of February 1971 because NASA and USFS wanted to see if being in space and in the moon’s orbit would cause the seeds to grow differently than other seeds. Upon return to Earth, the Forest Service germinated the seeds. They became known as the “Moon Trees”. The resulting seedlings were planted throughout the United States (many as part of the nation’s bicentennial in 1976). Some were also planted throughout the world. So far, there seems to be no difference in these trees except for the fact that almost every one of them surprisingly germinated. These trees stand as a tribute to astronaut Roosa and the Apollo program. NOTE: You can see where these trees were planted by visiting the following Website:

http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/lunar/moon_tree.html - None of the original “Moon Trees” were planted in New York, but there were some trees planted from seeds or cuttings from the original “Moon Trees” in Somers, New York at the Lasdon Park and Arboretum.

I would like to end by sharing a craft using fallen collected (on the ground only) tree twigs and other things from nature.  My brother and I always enjoyed stories about little people or fairies that lived in the woods. My ista, my brother and I would go on nature hikes and collect the twigs, and then find a really nice place to build our fairy houses. We did this in all seasons of the year.

You will need to collect twigs of all lengths, driftwood, some fallen bark (birch bark works well), pinecones, pebbles, feathers, and other natural materials such as stones and shells. Take a long a cloth bag to hold the things you collect. Find a nice safe place to build your house. Be sure not to pick a place near poison ivy. Poke your sticks into the ground and prop them against each other to form walls that will hold up a roof. Starting your house leaned up against a tree sometimes helps. You can also use a thick mud to hold the twigs together, or find thin grape vines and tie them together. Pinecones make a really nice fence and pebbles can create a pathway to the front door. Pliable twigs can be bent to form doorways. Just poke both ends after you sape an arch into the ground. Feathers, especially white or gray ones, are great to use as smoke plumes coming out of the chimney. We would also leave things like acorn caps in the house so they could be used as cups. If there were flowers in bloom, we would leave a small flower or two inside the house. One time I even built them a miniature snowman! Remember to only collect and build your houses out of natural materials found on the ground. Don’t pick materials from living plants or trees and be sure not to disturb an animal’s home or nest. There is a bird, a warbler, called an Ovenbird that builds its nest on the floor of the woods here in the northeast. It got its name because its nest looks just like a little oven built on the ground. This little bird is also nicknamed the “Teacher bird” because its song sounds like it is saying teacher, teacher, and teacher over and over again. Most of the Fairy houses take about one hour to build. Have fun! I will leave you now with this quote:

“We must protect the forests for our children, grandchildren and children yet to be born. We must protect the forests for those who can’t speak for themselves such as the birds, animals, fish and trees.”

-Chief Edward Moody, Qwatsinas, Nuxalk Nation