Bark and Wood

When we hear the word tree, our minds can move in many directions. Our thoughts can go to things like taking a walk in the woods or a tree lined street in an old town. There are many towns here in New Jersey where the trees are the distinguishing feature. Towns Like Haddonfield, Moorestown and Princeton where the majesty of the trees bring a unique and warm vibe as you drive through the town.

Many of us can think about the fact that certain species of trees are the longest lived organisms on earth or perhaps they are the largest. The oldest tree in the world is a Bristlecone Pine (Pinus longaeva) named “Methuselah”. This tree is 4765 years old and resides in a secret location in the White Mountain range of eastern California. The Largest tree in the world is a giant Sequoia “ General Sherman”. General Sherman measures 275’ tall measures 36’ in diameter at the base and his estimated bole volume (trunk) is 52,508 cu. ft. Something happens inside  of us when we consider these statistics in our minds and the thoughts and feelings we have about these amazing plants takes a quantum leap forward if we actually see them. I remember standing in Sequoia National park looking at one Redwood after another back in 2015. I stood at the base of General Sherman, my mouth agape  and my mind trying to grasp what I was seeing. The emotions I was feeling and the spiritual experience of considering their creator was visceral . 

The above mentioned tree experiences are amazing to be sure and on a grand scale make us feel connected to something greater than ourselves. What I have noticed over my 37 year career as an arborist is that this type of connection plays itself out with trees on peoples’ properties every day. To many of our clients, their trees are much more than just bark and wood. They can represent a connection to an old property or a loved one. Trees can be a measuring stick. At our house we have planted many trees . One particular tree is a Blue Atlas Cedar tree. This tree was planted around the time my daughter, Mikaela, was born. Every year we took the kids' first day of school pictures in front of this tree. When the tree was planted it was about 2 inches in diameter and maybe six feet tall. Twenty plus years later, Mikaela is twenty five and married. We also have two other children, Madison and Mason. The tree is now about 15” in diameter and almost thirty feet tall. We have several clients who moved to a new property and brought a tree with them from the property on which they grew up. Many clients who have planted trees with their fathers and the fathers have passed on. The trees provide a connection to the past. 

You see many trees live a very long time and in many cases they out live us. This means they can span the generations connecting them together like a thread. In some way, this comforts people. My Wife’s father ,Ellis , Passed away a few months ago and there are two stories relating to trees that are meaningful to us. The first is a story of a Pin Oak tree that is now growing on his property. The tree is probably close to 16” in diameter and about thirty five feet tall. Ellis grew that tree from an acorn. I actually remember seeing this tree as a seedling growing in his front flower bed. He told the story often of how he “ held the acorn in his hand”. Well, Ellis is gone now but the tree remains and the story as well. We all used to prompt him to tell this story even though we had heard it many times. The last time we did he laughed because he knew what we were up to!! The second is simple. A couple of years back, Ellis planted a southern Magnolia tree in his side yard to replace a storm damaged White Pine that we had to take down. He had potted up some seedlings a while back. He nurtured and cared for these in pots next to his pool house. There are now enough of these robust little seedlings in pots for kids, grandkids, and nieces and nephews to take home and plant on their property. When those trees get to their forever homes, we will all look at them and remember Ellis and the many stories he told. As a tree lover and arborist, I know my Father-In-Law was a tree lover himself. He grew them, heated his home with wood for many years and was a master at working on wood furniture. This was a major connection between he and I that I am grateful for.

If you have a tree story you would like to tell, we would love to hear it and if its ok maybe even share it here on our site or social media page. We understand that trees are more than just bark and wood. For us, it's personal.