Trees I think that I shall never see A poem lovely as a tree. A tree whose hungry mouth is prest Against the earth’s sweet flowing breast; A tree that looks at God all day And lifts her leafy arms to pray; A tree that may in Summer wear A nest of robins in her hair; Upon whose bosom snow has lain; Who intimately lives with rain. Poems are made by fools like me, But only God can make a tree. ~Joyce Kilmer, “Trees,” 1914 "Trees" was originally published in Trees and Other Poems. Joyce Kilmer. New York: George H. Doran Company, 1914.

The Bois d’Arc and the Legacy of the Tree by Andi Foster

Majestically rising toward the sky with a towering canopy providing shade and deeply rooted in the ground, the native Texas bois d’arc tree stands on the John C. Rogers property planted more than 80-plus years ago. Symbolically, the strong, hardwood bois d’arc tree, known as the Osage-orange tree, can be identified with the early settlers planting their family roots in Shelby County thereby creating a family tree legacy and building a way of life for future generations. According to the Texas A&M Forest Service http://texastreeid.tamu.edu/content/TreeDetails/?id=61, the Osage- orange tree (Maclura pomifera) is native to East and Central Texas, which is better known as the bois-d’arc, bodark or hedge-apple tree and attains its largest size in the valley of the Red River in the northeast part of the state, often on clay soils. The bois d’arc can be described as a “medium-sized tree to 40 feet tall and short trunk up to 3 feet in diameter with many crooked interweaving, thorny branches that form a dense, spreading crown.” The bark is “thin, brown to orange, divided into strips or flakes on older trunks” and contains tannin, which was used for tanning leather. The decay resistant wood of bois d’arc tree is hard, tough, resilient and very durable in contact with the soil. The heartwood is “bright orange in color, turning brown upon exposure to the air.” Due to the wood’s durability and stability, this species was also widely distributed and planted to make hedgerows and livestock pens prior to the invention of barbed wire, The bois d’arc wood is used for wheel rims, bows, stakes, railroad ties, turnery, novelties and musical instruments. Since the wood is difficult to work with due to its hardness, pre-drilling is necessary before the application of nails and screws. Further research states regarding the word “bois d’arc” has French origin meaning "bow-wood,” and the “hard yellow-orange wood, formerly used for bows and war clubs by the Osage and other Indian tribes, is now used for railway ties and fence posts.” Generally speaking about trees, arborists and dendrologists devote their time studying and focusing on the economically usefulness of all trees, their identification and practice the maintenance of their growth, composition, health and the quality of forests to meet diverse needs and values of the plant. According to Fire Science webpage (http://www.firescience.org/forestry-degree-programs-online), “foresters generally oversee the land quality of forests, parks, rangelands, and other natural resources. They design and establish plans for the management of forests and their resources; monitor forest lands and protect them from disease, harmful insects and fires; supervise tree harvests; and oversee forest and conservation workers.” Colleges around the globe prepares the professional in the forest industry with offer courses in forestry, including two Texas colleges, Stephen F. Austin State University, Arthur Temple College of Forestry in Nacogdoches and Texas A&M University, Department of Ecosystem Science and Management College Station. The woodworkers and wood industries transform and design the wood into products, including furniture manufacturing, mobile home production, construction, cabinets and musical instruments, all of which make our lives more comfortable and enjoyable. In today’s television programming, reality shows, such “This Old House” shows how wood products can be used in home restorations. “Ax Men” on the History Channel tells the story how men who risk their lives to provide America with much-needed timber. Tree whisperer and designer, Pete Nelson, host of “Treehouse Masters” http://www.animalplanet.com/tv-shows/treehouse-masters/about.htm on Animal Planet works with clients around the country constructing and giving them their ultimate childhood dream: a treehouse. One particular episode is Nelson’s treehouse design for country music singer, Brian Kelly of Florida Georgia Line and his wife, Brittney. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiOnVcUN_Nk&feature=player_detailpage). Throughout time, trees have been the subject and inspiration for countless artistic expressions through poetry, books, music, paintings, and sculptures, with the artists challenging to convey the beauty and meaning of the tree through their medium, symbolically uniting heaven and earth while attempting to make connections between man and nature. For example, “Tree at My Window” by Robert Frost, “A Murmur in the Trees” by Emily Dickinson, “This Lime-Tree Bower, My Prison” by Samuel Coleridge and “One White Tree” by J. R. R. Tolkien, most portray the tree as either the main subject in the poems or a by-stander witnessing to the prose within the lines, yielding the tree as a living, breathing companion for man. (Source: http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/thematic_poems/tree_poems.html). According to the Good Reads website, https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/18352.Best_Books_About_Trees shares their “Best Books About Trees” with 62 entries recommended by tree enthusiasts who vote on their favorite tree books and includes conversations about the books by the readers. Three examples from the list include: • The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein: 'Once there was a tree...and she loved a little boy.' Beautifully written and illustrated by Shel Silverstein, the tender story between a young boy and a tree offers “an affecting interpretation of the gift of giving and a serene acceptance of another’s capacity to love in return.” • Lives of the Trees by Diana Wells: Author Diana Wells investigates the names and meanings of trees, their legends and lore and reminds the reader how Earth’s inhabitants are innately bound to be tree protectors. Since the beginning of time, man has depended on trees for food, shade, shelter and fuel as well as furniture, musical instruments and utensils. • National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees--by Elbert L. Little, National Audubon Society with Angelo Lomeo, Photographer: An ideal field guild for any time of the year for tree lovers everywhere. Readers will enjoy these two guides which explore the incredible environment of our country's forests-including seasonal features, habitat, range, and lore with approximately 700 species of trees detailed in photographs of leaf shape, bark, flowers, fruit, and fall leaves. Songwriters incorporate trees into their lyrics as a symbol as hope and love. One song example made popular by The Andrew Sisters during the 1940s was “Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree (With Anyone Else but Me).” According to research, the original song was titled "Anywhere the Bluebird Goes.” The melody was written by Sam H. Stept and Lew Brown and Charles Tobias wrote the lyrics. The song debuted in the 1939 Broadway musical Yokel Boy. After the United States entered the war in December 1941, Brown and Tobias modified the lyrics to “Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree (With Anyone Else But Me), with the chorus ending with "...'till I come marching home.” In February 1942, the Glenn Miller Orchestra recorded the song with vocals by Tex Beneke, Marion Hutton, and The Modernaires. The song spent thirteen weeks on the Billboard charts and was ranked twelfth best-selling recording of the year. In May 1942, the song was featured in the film Private Buckaroo as a performance by the Andrews Sisters with the Harry James orchestra and featuring a tap dancing routine by The Jivin' Jacks and Jills. The Andrews Sisters released the song on Decca Records. Years later, Patty Andrews stated in an interview this song was their most requested song. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPJZTRqQ1Xw&list=SRthe%20andrews%20sisters%20don't%20sit%20under%20the%20 apple%20tree%20(with%20anyone%20else%20but%20me

Utilizing the tree as the main subject in paintings or other works of art, artists may symbolize a particular feeling or a particular period in the artist’s life. One example is The Mulberry Tree by Vincent Van Gogh. According to the Van Gogh Gallery http://www.vangoghgallery.com/painting/the-mulberry-tree.html, the tree painting is an extraordinary example of his work depicting an interesting view into his personal life. The bright orange leaves colors in the painting represent Van Gogh’s interest in the Impressionism period and how his knowledge of color theory, his awareness of the modern direction of painting, and his place in the world. Currently on view in the Sculpture Garden at the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C., “Graft”, 45 feet high by 45 feet high stainless steel structure weighing approximately 16,000 pounds and created by American sculptor Roxy Paine, stands “planted” as a tree on the United States Capitol on the National Mall. According to the NGA director, Earl A. Powell III, "Paine's Graft is uniquely appropriate for the Sculpture Garden, which balances art and nature within the urban yet verdant setting of the nation's capital." Rich in art interpretation regarding the silver tree sculpture, the NGA further states “Graft presents two fictive but distinct species of trees—one gnarled, twisting, and irregular, the other smooth, elegant, and rhythmic—joined to the same trunk. Among its rich associations, this sculpture evokes the persistent human desire to alter and recombine elements of nature, as well as the ever-present tension between order and chaos.” The following link shows a photo of Graft http://www.nga.gov/content/ngaweb/Collection/art-object-page.150152.html. Other interesting facts regarding the history of trees include the discovery of the Wollemi pine in Australia in 1994 by David Noble and the world’s first valuable trees known as the “Cedars of the Gods.” • The Wollemi pine - up to 40 meters high and in fact, a conifer, though not, despite its name, a pine - was discovered by accident by David Noble, a National Parks officer, in a gorge in the Blue Mountains of Australia in 1994. Later, astonished experts confirmed that he had stumbled across a new genus with a very ancient lineage: a sample of Jurassic bark. http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2005/may/10/environment.science • The remarkable discovery of the Wollemi Pine in the Greater Blue Mountains Area in Australia was a key factor in the area being inscribed on the World Heritage List at the 24th Session of the World Heritage Committee in December 2000. The 200 million year history of the relic Wollemi Pine, its evolutionary success and its status as a threatened species all contributed to building the case for why its home in the Greater Blue Mountains Area must be recognized and preserved as one of the world's top natural environments. http://www.wollemipine.com/watch/issue_4.php#story5 • According to Danny Foster, Vice President and International Wood Broker with Ihlo Sales and Import Company, “the world’s first valuable trees were the “Cedars of the God” known as Lebanese cedar, which was used by the Egyptians for cedar wood and cedar oil (mummification), used by the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Persians and the Romans. The Phoenicians were the world’s first “wood traders” selling Lebanese cedar all over the known world with their ships that were also made from the Lebanese cedar. King Solomon procured the Lebanese cedar to build his temple in Jerusalem. Pharaoh Khufu’s 4,600 year old Lebanese cedar boat was discovered in 1954 beside the Great Pyramid at Giza. It is still amazing that archeologists could smell the cedar aroma when they opened the burial site and the Lebanese cedar was still intact after many centuries had past.” http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/pharaoh/expl-nf.html Citizens are entrusted with the responsibility of being caretakers for trees by maintaining an ongoing relationship in studying the offerings of the different tree species, communicating and sharing the discoveries and new benefits to the planet’s inhabitants, respecting the wood products by replanting trees after harvesting, preserving our natural forests, appreciating the beauty of trees shared by artists in their words, music and paintings as they continue seeking the connection between man, nature and time. Genealogy research sustains the family trees, researching their backgrounds and family origin roots before traveling and settling in Shelby County. Trees are witnesses to history and can be embraced for the stories they have waiting to be discovered from surviving the environment and climate changes to their age lines to when they were planted for a family milestone to the benefits the trees possess in your community. The bois d’ arc tree: One example of a native East Texas tree standing strong as the Shelby County citizens who first made their journey to this area and planted their legacies. Every tree has a story to share.

It is not so much for its beauty that the forest makes a claim upon men’s hearts, as for that subtle something, that quality of air that emanation from old trees, that so wonderfully changes and renews a weary spirit. ~Robert Louis Stevenson

It is well that you should celebrate your Arbor Day thoughtfully, for within your lifetime the nation’s need of trees will become serious. We of an older generation can get along with what we have, though with growing hardship; but in your full manhood and womanhood you will want what nature once so bountifully supplied and man so thoughtlessly destroyed; and because of that want you will reproach us, not for what we have used, but for what we have wasted. ~Theodore Roosevelt, 1907 Arbor Day Message