I’ve come to believe that every little kid growing up needs a tree to call their own. It doesn’t matter if this tree is in a yard or a nearby city park. The tree can be shared, but it needs to be your spot for shade from the sun and shade from the world for just a little bit. I didn’t really have “my tree” growing up, partly because I didn’t understand how much I should appreciate them. The other reason is because the house I spent a good portion of my youth in was cleared out for our house to be built. Subsequently we planted trees around the front yard, but they were always too small to really get shade. Now, about 12 years later we have an Ash tree that is really exploding and is big enough to embrace as “my tree.”

Most people I am fortunate enough to meet this summer are working in their own way to leave the earth in a better state than they saw it in, and of course there are conflicting opinions among some of the folks, but a few things seem to thread all of these people together. It is a belief that people need to feel a connection to the land around them. With this sense of connection comes a sense of responsibility and with this sense of responsibility inherently comes a change in lifestyle. People are often nervous to break their habits in the name of living a less environmentally destructive life. With all of the technology and amazing ideas I am seeing this summer I am coming to realize that not only will this switch not be entirely difficult in the future, but it could really lead to a more aesthetically pleasing and purpose-driven life. People find a sense of purpose living for the folks they love, but if we can all live a part of our life for the LAND that we love … there is a purpose in almost all of your actions. This usually isn’t an issue in rural America … but it’s the densely populated cities and suburbs where a growth of appreciation for the land could do wonders. It could start with a tree for a kid to call his tree.

Unfortunately, an invasive insect accidentally imported from Asia was discovered near Detroit some years back that kills almost every Ash tree in it’s path. It’s been discovered in my hometown and I’m afraid it’s only a few years at most until that healthy burgeoning Ash in the front yard is a gray pile of sticks in the sky ….

In Ann Arbor, piles of wood including many logs of dead ash wait to be mulched. I have no problem with cutting down trees….they, just like people, reach their end. It’s just unfortunate when they meet an untimely end…just like people.

I’ll have to plant a new tree next time I’m home … maybe a maple this time around. Who knows what it could be in a few years.