Tree Stories Shared by the Keepers of the Trees Community
The following are tree stories submitted to us by our Keepers of the Trees Community. If you haven't yet joined in, we invite you to click the link at the bottom of this page to share YOUR tree story with us. (Note: If you have already submitted a story and it does not yet appear here, we will approve and post it shortly - thank you for your patience.)
"Keepers of the Trees: what a beautiful legacy. Trees are the guides of the forest, parks, yards, etc… When you watch a tree, it can share much and in the words of Tree Spirited Woman; “One can learn much from trees. Look at those leaves; they are already starting to change color. They have lived a full cycle. In the spring, they sprouted new buds and grew new leaves and branch¬es. They were trusting and growing. It was a time of new beginnings, much like each new day. The weather warmed; summer came. The leaves turned a rich green, blew in the wind, trusted all would be well in the life journey. Autumn is now approaching. It is time for ju¬bilation. The trees shout out for joy using bright colors, declaring the life journey is almost done. It is a sign they have lived and are not afraid of dying. The tree lets go of the leaves a little at a time until the tree becomes bar¬ren. Then it is time for the tree to rest and rejuvenate until the next beginning.” We are all the ‘Keepers of the Trees’ let us do our part to make sure they are here for our grandchildren.
Colleen Baldrica, Author of the three time national award winning book, Tree Spirited Woman
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Colleen Baldrica Listen to the trees and they will tell you much.
"I bought your book to share with a church group client of mine. I have recommend bringing in as large a tree as possible for the courtyard off of the entry to the church. The Sunday school classes would be able to sit under the tree and the tree would provide shade to the west windows. The church is in the heart of the University District and the tree would be in what was a parking lot. It will be a great addition to the neighborhood and to the project. Your book will help me get the amount of money necessary in the budget to bring in a really large tree. We have a year to find the right tree and are working with a landscape architect in helping to select the proper species and to prepare the site so it can really grow. The access is great so we can bring it in with heavy equipment. We hope to save a tree that would be destroyed by construction.
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C. Geise, Seattle
"After reading Keepers of the Trees, I was reminded that I've intended to develop a management plan for our own woodlot. Mostly I have been managing it by just cleaning up the fallen trees for firewood. My cousin is a retired U.S. Forest Service woodland manager, so I gave him a call and he's coming up in a month to move me further along on the stewardship of this land."
Jim P. Washington State
"As a life-long lover of trees, I have never felt more “at home” than in the Pacific NW where beautiful, healthy stands of trees abound. My property sports old-growth cedar, fir, pine and very mature maples, hemlock, sequoia, butternut and the largest, most spectacular blooming dogwood in Western WA. Bordering the street side of my property, are a row of flowering plums on city right-of-way. This lovely springtime pink archway into Langley is universally loved by the community and is in need of TLC! We lost three trees this spring in big wind storms and the rest need major pruning to give them a renewed vitality to withstand future winds. After reading the inspiring stories in Keepers of the Trees, I told Ann that I felt called to be a keeper of the Langley plums bordering my orchard. Pruning out suckers, dead and crossing branches is well within my capabilities, but the top growth and re-shaping needs professional care. The City has rules requiring a Certified Arborist to work on city-owned trees and no budget to hire one. So we are at catch-22 and looking for an arborist to help save some beautiful trees. Any volunteers out there? Meanwhile, my pruners are going to quietly love the trees- Shhh..."
Marcia Wiley, Langley, WA- a friend of Ann's and of the trees
"I have decided to plant trees to replace my carbon footprint. I calculate what I use in a month and translate that into how many trees I owe Mother Earth. There are several organizations I then contribute to where I know my money will go directly into the ground in the form of seedlings!"
Christina B. friend of Ann's
"OK, I'm testing this, but also want to share this story. In my family, when each of us kids was born, my grandfather would plant a tree in his yard, and name it after us. So, whenever we would go to visit, we could visit 'our special tree'. Each tree was a different kind, and we watched them grow up as we grew up. It was cool to have my very own tree. I still think it was a great idea."
ddix@peerspirit.com