Grand old Central District pear tree now on heritage list

In late fall, residents of Seattle's Central District feast on the D'Anjou pears that rain down from the towering tree at East Cherry Street and 27th Avenue.

Tom Samuelsen, who owns the corner lot on which the tree sits, believes it is more than 100 years old — possibly part of an orchard that existed when the area was "way out in the country."

On Sunday, a group of tree lovers gathered to raise a cider toast to the grand pear tree and its recent designation as a Seattle Heritage Tree because of its continued production, size, condition and age.

City of Seattle arborist Nolan Rundquist awarded Samuelsen's tree a "Best in City" award. There are about 60 other Heritage Trees in public parks and on private properties across the city, though few are fruit trees.

Dousing the celebration with a bit of cold water, tree surgeon Michael Oxman offered his own diagnosis: "Truthfully, it needs to be pruned."

Read on
The painting is by Alfred Glendening

I Meant To Do My Work Today - A poem by Richard LeGallienne

I Meant To Do My Work Today

I meant to do my work today,
But a brown bird sang in the apple tree,
And a butterfly flitted across the field,
And all the leaves were calling me.
And the wind went sighing over the land,
Tossing the grasses to and fro,
And a rainbow held out its shining hand,
So what could I do but laugh and go?

Richard LeGallienne

Care for the Nature - Letter of Wallace Stegner

Something will have gone out of us as a people if we ever let the remaining wilderness be destroyed; if we permit the last virgin forests to be turned into comic books and plastic cigarette cases; if we drive the few remaining members of the wild species into zoos or to extinction; if we pollute the last clear air and dirty the last clean streams and push our paved roads through the last of the silence, so that never again will Americans be free in their own country from the noise, the exhausts, the stinks of human and automotive waste. ~Wallace Stegner, letter to David E. Pesonen of the Wildland Research Center, 3 December 1960

Trees have a soul and a spirit.

"Time-honored, beautiful, solemn and wise.
Noble, sacred and ancient
Trees reach the highest heavens and penetrate the deepest secrets of the earth.
Trees are the largest living beings on this planet.
Trees are in communion with the spiritual and the material.
Trees guard the forests and the sanctified places that must not be spoiled.
Trees watch over us and provide us with what we need to live on this planet.
Trees provide a focal point for meditation, enlightenment, guidance and inspiration.
Trees have a soul and a spirit."

- Tree Magick by Lavenderwater

The Arbour a poem by Anne Bronte

THE ARBOUR
by: Anne Bronte (1820-1849)

I'll rest me in this sheltered bower,
And look upon the clear blue sky
That smiles upon me through the trees,
Which stand so thick clustering by;

And view their green and glossy leaves,
All glistening in the sunshine fair;
And list the rustling of their boughs,
So softly whispering through the air.

And while my ear drinks in the sound,
My winged soul shall fly away;
Reviewing lone departed years
As one mild, beaming, autumn day;

And soaring on to future scenes,
Like hills and woods, and valleys green,
All basking in the summer's sun,
But distant still, and dimly seen.

Oh, list! 'tis summer's very breath
That gently shakes the rustling trees--
But look! the snow is on the ground--
How can I think of scenes like these?

'Tis but the frost that clears the air,
And gives the sky that lovely blue;
They're smiling in a winter's sun,
Those evergreens of sombre hue.

And winter's chill is on my heart--
How can I dream of future bliss?
How can my spirit soar away,
Confined by such a chain as this?

Importance of Planting Trees

Trees are one of the most beautiful creations of Nature. The size, shape, age, variety and everything a tree has is wonderful. When you see a big or old tree chances are high that it is planted by an old generation. We should be able to keep this continuity going forward for the generations to come. We have trees standing high for fifty centuries. We are lucky to see them because they are protected for ages. What are the things that we should do to carry forward this blessing. Two of the best things are Planting new Trees and protecting old ones. At a time and place when enemies galore it is very important to take active interventions for the protection of trees. If they could talk or move they would have somehow managed to escape from humans. But since they are speechless and motionless it is our duty to protect them.
Anytime of the year is apt for planting tress. If the season is rainy a simple fencing is all needed to protect a tree for sometime. Active followup is needed to ensure that the fence and sapling is okay. Watering is necessary for seasons other than rainy ones. But this idea too is good because by the time the rains come, our plant will be ready with its roots firmly on the ground to stand all by its own. So come on Let us Plant A Tree today itself. Once it is grown up you will be a proud owner of a tree. You will definitely feel proud on a future day when you see a pedestrian resting below, children playing around or a couple romancing beside. Birds sitting on it will thank you with a morning song.

Who plants a Tree plants....

WHAT does he plant who plants a tree?
He plants not just a tree, but....
Read the complete song here.

Spoorthivana

"35 Kms away from Bangalore city on way to Magadi, near the confluence of Arkavathi and Kumudvathi rivers; SPOORTHIVANA – a dream project for preserving all your cherished memories by planting saplings, has come up in 300 acres of sprawling terrains belonging Karnataka Government at TG Halli (Thippagondanahalli) reservoir catchment area. Details here
The site is worth visiting. What I like about them is the reasons they give for Tree Planting. "Just plant a tree. It evolves itself by adjusting to the changes of the nature. Gives shelter to innumerable birds, insects and animals. Absorbs poisonous gases that heat up the earth. Prevents soil erosion, preserves moisture and enriches fertility of the land. Grows as a gigantic, marvelous creation that stands as a treasure chest of your memories!".

Amma on Planting Trees

This article is a free condensed translation of a weekly article written by Matha Amrithanandamayi in Mathrubhumi daily


"My dear children

Amma has reiterated that there should be nothing in our actions that would scuttle the equilibrium of nature. The scientific Community too tells that. Still it is doubtful whether anyone is actually engaging in Nature Conservation activities. In this respect the Westerners are  far ahead of us. In Alappat panchayath where a lot of people are killed in the Dec 2004 Tsunami, there grows now more than a hundred thousand Tulsi plants. This feat is possible only due to two German girls of the Ashram who travel six kilometers by bicycle every morning to tend them. Now the locals too help them. They have very well realised the greatness  of Tulsi.

But what are we doing now? We are planting trees for Industries only, clearing our native ones. Those trees lack immunity to diseases and require fertilisers and pesticide to survive. At the place where our native flowers stood now stands cactus. It shows the change happened to the human mind. Our ancestors used to put various medicinal flowers and leaves in water and used to drink it. They did not have to use any kind of medicines or tonics. This water itself was acted as their medicine. Their medicinal value are now scientifically proven, still we are not giving enough importance to them.

Guests were given tender coconuts in those days. Now it has given way to tea or coffee or colas. Our children has turned into cola drinkers. Lemon juice was readily available in all petty shops till recently, now it is very rare and only coloured juices are available in shops. Rubber an vanilla are cultivated at the place of coconuts and oranges. It is not due to the love of Nature, but the profit margin only.

For some years now Amma's children are celebrating Vrishchikam first(A Malayalam month starting  around mid-November), a by Planting Trees. The devotees intend to go to Sabarimala temple start the 41 day long vrata on that day. During the 41 days' of rituals and vratha the plant is watered everyday. The Plant is revered as holy and worshipped as a symbol of Nature. We are all dependent on Nature. Realisation of this helps us to remove our selfishness. When one sees himself as part of the Nature itself he realises he and Nature are not two but a single entity. People who love Nature are the real treasure of any Nation. "

"The Heart Of The Tree"

WHAT does he plant who plants a tree?
He plants a friend of sun and sky;
He plants the flag of breezes free;
The shaft of beauty, towering high.
He plants a home to heaven anigh
For song and mother-croon of bird
In hushed and happy twilight heard —
The treble of heaven's harmony —
These things he plants who plants a tree.

What does he plant who plants a tree?
He plants cool shade and tender rain,
And seed and bud of days to be,
And years that fade and flush again;
He plants the glory of the plain;
He plants the forest's heritage;
The harvest of a coming age;
They joy that unborn eyes shall see —
These things he plants who plants a tree.

What does he plant who plants a tree?
He plants, in sap and leaf and wood,
In love of home and loyalty
And far-cast thought of civic good —
His blessing on the neighborhood
Who in the hollow of His hand
Holds all the growth of all our land —
A nation's growth from sea to sea
Stirs in his heart who plants a tree


-Henry Cuyler

Can a Forest be Grown ?

Can a forest be made? be grown? At first it might seem impossible. But with some
attention, patience and will a forest can be made. Set aside a little space in your
backyard for a forest. It may seem leaving that space free form intervention is the
best way to grow a forest. But planting a few fruit bearing trees is a better option. As the trees grow and have fruits, birds will come from various parts. They will bring seeds with them. The next rain will show new plants sprouting. In time you will be a proud owner of a mysterious, thick, green forest. Does it worth keeping aside a little space just for a forest which would not give anything in return? This question was asked to me many times by many friends. The answer depends on how you view this little forest of yours. If you like birds chirping and the sound of water falling from trees even after the rain had gone or like to sit below the shade when the air is hot, or like to see squirrels running through it with noises or a wild flower blooming suddenly after the rains it is worth the effort. Or if your place is a lot bigger you will have a small stream formed inside your forest naturally. It would be the greatest treasure you might transfer to your generations to come.