Imagine a city skyline without trees. It's hard to do isn't it? That's because planting trees is one of the first things settlers do when they settle a new area. Drive through any rural area and you can easily locate the old homesteads by their line of pecans, cottonwoods or sycamores. Humans have a primal need for trees.
There are great quotes about why to plant trees. An old Chinese proverb says that civilizations become great when people plant trees under whose shade they will never sit. On the lighter side there's a quote that says "plant trees - they give us two of the most crucial elements for our survival: oxygen and books" (popularly attributed to A. Whitney Brown). And there are countless studies demonstrating that trees are important for our health, our education, and our emotional well-being.
I plant trees, care for trees, and teach others to plant and care for trees not because of studies and statistics but because the sight of a tree lifts my spirits. Looking a tree transports me away from the city, away from worries about work and family, and to a beautiful, cool green world. In teaching about trees, I hope to inspire others to create a better world.