For most of human existence, our species—Homo sapiens—lived as food foragers, that is, they lived by gathering wild plants, hunting land and sea animals, and by fishing. With an animistic worldview, these food foragers viewed trees as beings which were not subordinate to humans. Then, about ten thousand years ago or so, humans began to domesticate plants and animals which eventually led to an agricultural way of life and the emergence of a hierarchical worldview which saw humans as superior to all other living things. With this worldview, trees were in the way and had to be cleared for agricultural fields. Forested areas were reduced to make way for farming and cities. In today’s world, which is undergoing massive climate change, we should ask: “Why are trees important?”
To answer this question, at least in part, let’s look to the John A. Finch Arboretum in southwest Spokane, Washington. The word arboretum entered into English in 1833 with the meaning of “tree-garden, place where trees or shrubs are cultivated.” It is from the Latin arboretum meaning “a place grown with trees.” Arboretum is formed from arbor meaning “tree” with the suffix -ettum which is used form the names of gardens and woods.
Let’s start by looking at the various parts of a tree:
The Woodland Center of the John Finch Arboretum has a poster showing the many different kinds of trees which are found in the arboretum.
For those of us with a basic understanding of climate change, we know that trees help regulate the atmosphere:
Trees also provide habitat:
For hundreds of thousands of years, our species—Homo sapiens—have used trees for food, medicine, and fiber:
For thousands of years, Homo sapiens have used trees to enhance our concept of landscape. As we began to develop cities some 10,000 years ago, providing green space and shade also became important:
Trees provide protection against erosion:
For thousands of years, Homo sapiens have used trees for building materials and as our technology has become more complex, trees continue to be important:
While wind today’s is becoming an important energy source, wind causes erosion as well as damage to dwellings. In many areas, such as the Great Plains of North America, trees have provided wind breaks to reduce the destructive nature of wind:
In archaeology we use tree rings to provide dating information (dendrochronology) and to tell us about climate change in the past:
Low Impact Development
One of the signs in the Arboretum explains Low Impact Development (LID) and the importance of trees. According to the sign:
“Low Impact Development (LID) is an approach to land development that works with nature to manage stormwater as close to its source as possible. LID employs principles such as preserving and recreating natural landscape features, minimizing imperviousness to create functional and appealing drainage features.”
According to another sign in the Arboretum:
“Mature, healthy trees can play a significant role in reducing stormwater runoff by intercepting and storing precipitation, promoting evapotranspiration, and slowly releasing intercepted precipitation from foliage and branches to the surrounding soil.”
More Trees
Public Lands: A White Willow Tree (photo diary)
Public Lands: Trees along the creek (photo diary)
Glacier National Park: Trail of the Cedars (Photo Diary)
Ireland Photo Diary: A Walk in the Woods
Silver Falls State Park: A Nature Trail (Photo Diary)
Oregon Garden: Conifer Garden (Photo Diary)
Oregon Garden: Oak Grove Trail (Photo Diary)
Lake Mary Ronan State Park: Doug Fir Trail East (photo diary)