Recently the BBC News posted a story about Nellie’s Tree near Leeds, winning England’s Tree of the Year. About 100 years ago, Nellie’s fiancé Vic Steed grafted a Beech tree sapling between two others so that the letter N formed— all in honor of his sweetheart Nellie. Today their family celebrates their love and new couples continue to promise love for the other under the organic letter N.

The Smithsonian Magazine also shared on FaceBook the coming demise of a weighty organism (13 million pounds) – the Pando in Utah’s Fish Lake Forest. It is a forest of Aspens, 47,000 clones on 107 acres, from one mother aspen that has lived longer than 80,000 years and is dying because of ecosystem imbalance including deer grazing on new shoots or clones.

A friend shared that there are cities that protect their trees from being removed or chopped without petition and review. One such place is Savanah, GA. In their ordinance, trees are protected, and no tree can be removed without city review and approval. In contrast and in a move that is a set back to our peace of mind, another friend finds her small stand of Aspens has offended neighbors so much that the city ordered her to remove the trees.

These stories tell us that trees are integral to our successful (and meaningful) life on the earth and it starts with us in our communities.

I cherish my trees – Colorado Blue Spruce in front and large 100-year-old mother Aspen in the back. I found this year that Aspen clones bob-up from this one root system. She is replicating herself and trying to turn carbon dioxide into oxygen in our atmosphere. I’ve decided to let some of her babies develop. 

I don’t understand the position that trees should be chopped and removed. Not long ago, I noticed that a mature Cottonwood in the community was hacked down to a stump. When I asked about it, the owner believed that some of the branches would be too heavy and fall down under snow this season. I saw a limb or two that were leafless; but I wouldn’t have removed the whole beautiful senior canopy; I would have instead trimmed it and treated it, if possible. 

I’ve talked about the birds and squirrels that had made the tree home. I noticed a family of ravens that had regularly congregated in the grand tree flying circles where the tree had been. I felt like they were wondering where the cover they roosted on had gone. It was here one day and gone the next. Across the street in the cottonwoods, I heard squirrel chatter— seemingly arguing about the up-rootedness of the neighborhood. All of the animals had to move out of that tree’s canopy. 

The loss of one tree is painful because of Earth’s condition since humans brought on the burning of fossil fuels and valuing money ahead of good stewardship of forests and resources. Trees hold the earth together and give us calm and life celebration besides producing oxygen for our breathing. Like Savannah, I wish that our cities in the valley took trees more seriously and held their lives as precious gems. Don’t forget, we do have resources like the Rio Grande National Forest Service and Colorado State Forest Service to guide us.

—Nelda Curtiss is a retired college professor who enjoys writing and fine arts. Contact her at [email protected]