To Mourn a Tree

New York lost over 2000 trees this past week due to a fierce storm - and most likely two tornadoes - that swept through Brooklyn and Queens. The question, beyond the tragic loss of one life and the effort and expense of cleaning up, is: how does one mourn the loss of a tree?

Many of these trees, some 100 and 200 years old, provided local workers and residents with a sense of stability and reassurance in an era of movement and uncertainty. They were seen as familiar, steadfast companions; silent confidantes; comforting refuges of shade; statues of beauty; and trustworthy guides. There is now a yawning hole, a telltale scar, in the personal landscape where the tree used to be.

And yet, it is not generally socially acceptable to mourn the loss of a tree. As a society, we take trees down with great ease, even aplomb, to create our questionable, even undesirable, impermeable roads and sprawling suburbs, often replacing whole acres of woods with nostalgic arboreal names such as Laurel Court, Linden Way or Maple Street.

Mt Vernon Conservancy in Baltimore is seeking to take down 100 historic trees, albeit with the intent of replacing them with large, 35-foot trees more securely planted in improved soil, better suited for the location and more neatly aligned. And while it may indeed make sense to do this - many of the marked trees are stressed and unwell - still they add their unique character and history to the plaza. Trees, unlike money or bricks, are not fungible.

Maryland did a great job with the Wye Oak. We began harvesting its acorns years before its demise and now there are thousands of little Wye Oak saplings across the country. After it came down in a storm in 2002, some of its wood was salvaged and made into a desk for our Governor. Thousands of trinkets, crafts and tchotchkes of all sorts were made from the tree.

So the question remains, is it socially acceptable to mourn the loss of trees and if so, how shall we do it? When my family had to take down our 90 year old poplar in our back yard, I was eager to find an artist or carpenter who could make it into a table for our home. Haven't found one yet so I will likely end up burning it.

Native hunters thanked the animals they killed for giving themselves up for food. Such a meditation restores a sense of balance and tames the rising hubris that comes when exercising the power to take a life. Perhaps we need something like that regarding trees. Perhaps before the whine of the chainsaw, we should thank the tree for its goodness and gifts. Perhaps too we can grow a whole cottage industry of artists who can help us take the wood from local trees and make them into keepsakes, reminding us of the presence and value of particular trees.

And then what should be done when loggers harvest whole forests, far from our view, out of our consciousness? Perhaps public officials and the press should cover the first cuts, broadcast the views and the noise on the web so we can see the source of this blessing and know that it comes at a price, as indeed most blessings do.

Cultures create traditions and rituals around moments of shared significance. Perhaps it is time we created one for lost trees.

(drawing: The Wye Oak)