analyze | predict
Today is Arbor Day. Go plant a tree. Everybody likes oxygen. It keeps you alive. Trees provide shade. I like shade. Some trees produce fruit. Fruit is yummy. Trees are made of wood. Wood is useful, it can be used to build dog houses, park benches, swings, people houses, and much more. Trees have leaves. In the fall the leaves fall to the ground and can be raked into big piles, good for jumping into.
Trees are wind breaks which keep the wild winds from sweeping across plains and creating sand storms. Trees have roots that burrow into the ground and help prevent erosion. Trees are homes for birds, squirrels, and other wildlife. I like animals, they should have homes.
Trees are nice to look at. They are generally brown and green (I like brown and green), but they can have other colors too thanks to flowers and leaves. Trees look nice in a yard, a park, by a stream, all over the place. Some trees can be used for decorations like Christmas trees and bonsai trees.
Trees are fun. Trees are good to climb on. I like to climb up trees to see farther. You can hang a swing on a tree. You can use a tree as base in a game of tag. Army guys can use trees to get over fences and to spot bad guys.
I like trees. You should like trees too.
Growing up in the
home of arbor day we celebrated this holiday every year. In
grade school we would often draw pictures or write essays (like the one above) for contests or school assignments. But we also got out of school to go to a park and play and listen to a
tree awareness rally. At these rallies we would be given a
sapling. If the
sapling survived the journey home my parents would help us (my brothers and sisters and I) plant them in the yard or at the my grandparents' farm. I have fond memories of this and some of those trees still stand.
For a little work you can have a part in the process of nature. It is little awe inspiring to see a big strong tree 20 years later that you planted when it was tiny and weak. If I had children and a yard I would make this an annual event for the family. Children aren't going to understand or find it as exciting as I do, but if they are like me, when they grow up and pass by that tree, they will feel a little pride and nostalgia.
As I got older (the teen years) I thought
Arbor Day was a joke. A lame local attempt at
environmentalism. I really didn't think much of it or care about it. I didn't see much point in it.
Since then the The National Arbor Day Foundation has been more active in publicizing the day more widely. They have a pretty informative web sight, distribute literature, and organize tree planting events. They even sell saplings. *hint*
Why am I writing this? Since I can't do much for the holiday myself, I'm trying to raise
tree awareness. People talk about the
rain forests depletion, but mostly it is just talk. Look to your own back yard. Can you do something that besides helping the environment, beautifies your yard?
The last Friday in April is National Arbor Day, but many states celebrate during the best time of year to plant trees in their climate. Check the Arbor Day node for dates by state if you are curious.
To who ever soft-linked The Lorax, Thanks.