{"id":195874,"date":"2024-04-10T12:40:29","date_gmt":"2024-04-10T19:40:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/?p=195874"},"modified":"2024-07-25T17:40:08","modified_gmt":"2024-07-26T00:40:08","slug":"in-praise-of-trees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/stewardship\/in-praise-of-trees","title":{"rendered":"In Praise of Favorite Trees"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Nature is often the backdrop for the stories we tell. It\u2019s the glacier lake we jump into; the pillowy snow we send our skis down; the wind that whips at our tent the night before a memorable hike. Occasionally, nature gets to be the main character. For instance: trees. Most people have a tree story, whether it\u2019s the crab-apple they scraped their knees learning to climb or an evergreen they always notice on a favorite trail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Below are stories from our REI Co-op Member and staff community about their favorite trees. Read on to discover a 300-year-old oak, a sequoia that inspired a romantic tattoo and more. Share your tree story in the comments below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are tree stories shared by REI staff and members around the country. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Stopping to Smell the Cherry Blossoms<\/h3>\n\n\n
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\"A
\u201cWe have a block with an entire intersection in West Seattle that is lined with old cherry trees. Every spring, no matter how cold it is, we open our windows to let the smell of the buds waft through our house. We play in, on, around and amongst them; hide behind their huge puffy pink blooms; create artwork out of their flowers before they go away. It’s so incredibly fleeting\u2014just like my kids. Their childhood is passing by without me even stopping to “smell the flowers.” The blooms are an annual reminder to slow down, take a deep breath, enjoy the time and space I’m in with these tiny humans before they’re all grown up, and be so incredibly grateful that we have this beauty right outside of our door! I take an annual picture under the cherry blossoms. Here’s the latest.\u201d \u2013 Rachael Minucciani, REI senior program manager of strategic brand partnerships<\/em>. REI Member since 2014.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n
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In the cherry blossom’s shade 
there is no such thing
as a stranger
\u2013 Kobayashi Issa<\/em> <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Wondrous Willow<\/h3>\n\n\n
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\"A
\u201cMy favorite tree is a weeping willow. Growing up, we had a willow in my backyard that I loved to climb, so I always light up when I see one. I love the weeping willows in the Boston Public Garden.\u201d \u2013 Alicia Harvey, REI Cooperative Action manager. REI Member since 2011.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n
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Did you know?<\/em><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

There are 19 weeping willow trees in Boston\u2019s Public Garden<\/a>, and they were originally planted around the lagoon in the early 20th century. The Public Garden is considered the country\u2019s first botanical garden; it was established in 1839.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Tree of Life<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"A
\u201cThank you for honoring my Mom\u2019s tree. Amy Quinney was a deep source of love in my life and all of those she cared about\u2014which was everyone! This tree is where her body came to rest. We interred her ashes here on March 1, 2020, just before the whole world changed. Her tree continues to grow and bring new life, just as her love lives on and grows even in the wake of our grief and sadness. As I wrote in her obituary: Her strength and love and joy will live on in all of us who had the honor of being a part of her rich and beautiful life.\u201d \u2013 Dr. Kathy Wilder, San Diego, CA. REI Member since 1992<\/em>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Tree<\/em><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

by Jane Hirshfield<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is foolish 
to let a young redwood
grow next to a house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even in this
one lifetime,
you will have to choose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That great calm being 
this clutter of soup pots and books\u2014<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Already the first branch-tips brush at the window. 
Softly, calmly, immensity taps at your life.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Best Part of My House<\/h3>\n\n\n
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\"A
“This is my front yard tree. It is a giant western hemlock with a double trunk that we named Hermione. It is one of the reasons I bought my specific home in March of last year. I live in the Wedgwood neighborhood of Seattle, and Wedgwood loves and fights for its trees<\/a>. The community fought to save Luma [a double-trunked cedar tree that has significance for members of the Snoqualmie Tribe], and I am so happy that the developer who built my home created a plan specifically to leave space for Hermione. She cleans our air, shades our yard, and watches over us.” \u2013 Mercedes Benedict, executive assistant at REI Co-op. REI Member since 2003.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n
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Did you know?<\/em><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

A \u201cculturally modified tree\u201d is a tree that has been intentionally altered by Indigenous people<\/a>. These trees have cultural significance for specific groups. In some states and countries, there are laws in place to prevent illegal cutting. The Luma tree in Seattle is an example of a culturally modified tree. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Visiting an Old Friend<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"A
\u201cI borrowed a book about Finland so much that the librarian ordered it for me to own. I was in elementary school and obsessed with the trees I saw in the book. Finland is blanketed with pine trees that look painted with a fan brush. So amazing. My dear friend took me to the Paavola tree<\/a> [a famous oak tree in Finland that\u2019s estimated to be more than 300 years old], one of the most special trees in the country and world. Totally an oak tree. Totally unexpected. I\u2019m going back in February to visit it a third time. It\u2019ll be covered with snow. Can\u2019t wait.\u201d \u2013 Debra de Rosset, Lutherville, MD. REI Member since 2012.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Did you know? <\/em><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

About 75% of Finland\u2019s land mass is covered in forests. A little more than 10% of that land is completely protected from logging use, according to the Finnish Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Happy Place<\/h3>\n\n\n
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\"A
\u201cThis metasequoia [dawn redwood] was my special place as a child\u2014a perfect climbing tree, spy station and secret hideout all in one. There\u2019s still some muscle memory for the route up to my favorite perch. It\u2019s on the corner by the house I grew up in, in South Jersey. I loved having such a great climbing tree right in our yard and spent a lot of time in it. I still don\u2019t think I\u2019ve found a better climbing tree anywhere. When I was younger, my parents called it the \u201cdinosaur tree,\u201d and I spent a long time thinking that was the name of the type of tree, but eventually learned it was just because they had hung dinosaur ornaments on it for one of my birthday parties.

A regional tradition is Mischief Night (the night before Halloween), where kids go out and cause trouble\u2014TPing yards, egging houses and so on. I would TP our own tree instead; it made for a pretty cool Halloween decoration with all the strands hanging down.\u201d \u2013 Brenna Powell, trip specialist for REI Adventures<\/em>. REI Member since 2017.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n
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Speaking Tree (exerpt)<\/em><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

by Joy Harjo<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026
Some humans say trees are not sentient beings 
But they do not understand poetry\u2014
\u2026<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Long Live the Queen<\/h3>\n\n\n\n