Joyce Kilmer is known for writing, “I think that I shall never see/ A poem as lovely as a tree.” I don’t know what it means to “see” a poem, but I do have some thoughts on what it means to “read” a tree. Truth be told, not all trees are “lovely.” Some are messy, dropping leaves into gutters and branches on lawns and houses. Some are misshapen and some are a pest, sending roots into sewer systems and upending sidewalks. And talk not to those of us who have to clean them up of the cascades of maple seeds and cottonwood puffs. Yet trees are crucial to our economic, physical and mental health. They address climate concerns, adding oxygen to our atmosphere and tempering the effects of climate warming. They create biodiversity and provide shade that reduces reliance on air-conditioning. And they can indeed by “poems” — visual events of extraordinary beauty and complexity. We should all be looking to plant more trees. The trick is to pick the right one for the appointed site.
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