January 19, 1989 - A Hymn to Nature's Cathedral: TreesP�i`�e "��A�%1`1ie Suffojk Times /January 19,'�"i9t�
A Hymn to Nature's Cathedral: Trees
l3v Paul Stoutenburah
I've never lived without trees around
the house. By that I mean our house and
my folks' house were both built in the
woods. Trees have been an integral part
of our lives. They've shaded our houses
and kept them cool in the summer.
They have protected our homes from
harsh winter winds during the winter and
given grace and charm to the landscape
about us.
There is a trade -off in almost every-
thing we do. Trees are a perfect exam-
Focus on
Nature
ple. We have leaves to rake in the fall,
fallen branches to pick up and cart away
and the house doesn't have the great
amount of sunlight that would flood in
our windows had we built in the middle
of a field. But to us the advantages far
outweigh the disadvantages.
To have a tree where an oriole can
build its hanging nest and serenade us
with his song is but one advantage to
having trees nearby. Then, of course,
the squirrel can climb and frolic in the
bare branches and sit on one to watch
over all as he munches a hickory nut
recovered from his winter's cache. And
where would I nail my bird houses if we
had no trees? Or where would I strap my
suet feeder that attracts the woodpeckers,
nuthatches, chickadees and other winter
residents that enjoy their hearty winter
meal?
There are some problems I have with
my suet feeder and bird houses, by the
way. Sometimes when Mr. Raccoon is
on the prowl he'll rip the bird houses
free in search of a sleeping mouse or a
cache of winter fruit and often he'll tear
my suet feeder apart. But that's part of
the game.
Trees Saved Close to House
I remember well arguing with the
contractor who dug our cellar to be es-
pecially careful of the trees I marked to
leave. It was good he was an
understanding person for it's not easy to
maneuver big equipment around trees; it
would have been much easier just to
knock a few more down. Some of the
trees still hold marks on their bark
where the bulldozer backed into them.
Long Island has basically two types
of forest growth: the ones you see along
Photo by Paul Stoutenburgh
GREY SQUIRREL —If you have trees around your house you are bound to find this busy fellow enjoying the
fruits of his winter storage.
the expressway and the ones found
throughout the center of the island called
scrub pine. Periodic fires have kept
these down in size, which is part of
their natural heritage. We hear more and
more about these pine barrens because
under them are the greatest caches of
fresh water to be found on Long Island.
The pine barrens have not been devel-
oped because this central part of our is-
land is made up mostly of light, sandy
soils, not good for agriculture and
therefore not cleared and utilized. The
other parts of our island, mainly the
North Shore, are predominantly oak -
hickory forest. These trees require better
soil and therefore much of our hardwood
forests have been cleared for agriculture.
Today this agricultural land is slowly
being converted into housing.
I'm always pushing for importance of
trees. Whenever I take a group on a na-
ture walk I have them feel the bark of
various trees. It might sound strange but
there's a lot to learn from running your
hand over an oak or black cherry or pine
tree. Each has its own characteristics.
The oak is coarse and rough with deep
grooves — its color is almost black.
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The white oak is somewhat similar but
not as coarse and not so deeply grooved
and its color is almost silvery white.
The shaggy -bark hickory in our front
yard has an entirely different feel. Its
long shakes of bark are sharp and rough
and can be picked off easily. The black
cherry along the hedgerow is likewise
sharp and grooved but its color is much
darker than the hickory. There's a
smooth feeling to the crooked shad out
in front. Its dark -grey bark with light
streaks is smooth and has a nice feel to
it.
Senses Dulled Over Years
I'm afraid we're getting to be a soci-
ety that does not use its senses enough.
As the old saying goes, "If you don't
use it, you'll lose it!" No doubt about
it. I think our early ancestors were much
keener in all their senses and used them
much more than we do today. Grandma
could thread a needle easily when she
was 80. Their noses told them if some-
thing was good or bad. Their sharp ears
could hear a deer walking in the woods
and their hands could tell if the grain
was dry enough to be thrashed. In to-
day's world our senses are abused and
deadened by loud and abrasive sounds.
Our eyes are under constant threat and
demand for use. Our noses are exposed
to an ever - widening list of manmade
smells, often ones that irritate and burn.
The trees and forest can help us with a
better use of our senses. The soft wind
in the treetops is something to be heard
and remembered. The coolness of the
forest in the summer and the protection
from the winter winds give us security,
a sense of well- being. The smell of pine
underfoot as we pass through a cathedral
of green or even the aroma of splitting
wood has a special meaning belonging
to a more earthly world.
And what majesty our eyes see in the
wonder of a tree: it grows from a tiny
acorn, struggles with vigor as a sapling
for its place in the sun. We see the
grandeur of a full -grown tree with its
color change in the fall and its skeletal
form in the winter that awaits spring's
warming trend. Then the sap flows, the
buds swell and we see again the miracle
of the renewal of life. Our eyes are there
for us to see the tree. Everyone remem-
bers the words of Joyce Kilmer:
"I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree."
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