Yes, I am aware that recently I've been writing a lot about trees, including:
* Rare oaks saved, so far, from sand mining in Jackson and Monroe Counties.
* Acres of pristine trees threatened for golf course development adjacent to Kohler Andrae State Park.
* A grove of iconic horse chestnut trees in downtown Milwaukee apparently headed for destruction.
* Ancient oaks facing the chainsaw in Kletzsch Park in Glendale.
* Other old oaks which could be destroyed on the Milwaukee County Grounds.
Trees produce the oxygen that keeps you alive, absorb flood water, cool the air, enhance property values, fertilize the soil, sequester carbon and shelter wildlife.
The Internet is thick with websites that provide those highlights and back them up with data. Here's one that lists dozens of benefits provide by trees.
My tree-hugging writing actually goes back a few years, like in this 2015 posting:
The current predictions about that are frightening; tree-hugging better become mandatory.
Jim Stingl had a great piece the other day in the Journal Sentinel about his "favorite freeway tree" on I-94 east of Madison. I'm sure it sparked a lot of feedback.
Remember Scout's favorite oak tree in "To Kill a Mockingbird?" A lot of people have favorite trees.
I've got a couple these days. One is a tall white pine in our yard that I am sure was there when construction on the house began 98 years ago.
And there's a magnificent, lone birch tree at the top of of the hill on Lincoln Memorial Drive that I check in on several times a week.
Even though I'm a regular visitor, i'm entertained that it always seems surprised to see me.
So, sure, call me a tree hugger. Glad to do it. Trees help keep me happy and alive.
If you have a favorite tree, let me know about it, and if you can find me on Facebook, post a picture there, too.
* Rare oaks saved, so far, from sand mining in Jackson and Monroe Counties.
* Acres of pristine trees threatened for golf course development adjacent to Kohler Andrae State Park.
* A grove of iconic horse chestnut trees in downtown Milwaukee apparently headed for destruction.
* Ancient oaks facing the chainsaw in Kletzsch Park in Glendale.
* Other old oaks which could be destroyed on the Milwaukee County Grounds.
Trees produce the oxygen that keeps you alive, absorb flood water, cool the air, enhance property values, fertilize the soil, sequester carbon and shelter wildlife.
The Internet is thick with websites that provide those highlights and back them up with data. Here's one that lists dozens of benefits provide by trees.
My tree-hugging writing actually goes back a few years, like in this 2015 posting:
There is a provocative and information-laden piece in The New York Times that links Amazon rain forest clear-cutting to drought on two continents to climate change worldwide.
Read it for the clearly-explained science, and the message, which is, seriously, go hug a tree. They are saving your lives, and the planet:
Trees take up moisture from the soil and transpire it, lifting it into the atmosphere. A fully grown tree releases 1,000 liters [about 260 gallons] of water vapor a day into the atmosphere: The entire Amazon rain forest sends up 20 billion tons a day...The chainsaw caucus in the Wisconsin legislature, local governments and some apologists for corporate ideologues have forgotten or care not that old growth trees and wetlands - - the organic heart of the land which produce clean air and fresh water - - are the best natural defenses we are blessed to have again climate extremes which these days are regularly wreaking havoc.
The current predictions about that are frightening; tree-hugging better become mandatory.
Jim Stingl had a great piece the other day in the Journal Sentinel about his "favorite freeway tree" on I-94 east of Madison. I'm sure it sparked a lot of feedback.
Remember Scout's favorite oak tree in "To Kill a Mockingbird?" A lot of people have favorite trees.
I've got a couple these days. One is a tall white pine in our yard that I am sure was there when construction on the house began 98 years ago.
And there's a magnificent, lone birch tree at the top of of the hill on Lincoln Memorial Drive that I check in on several times a week.
Even though I'm a regular visitor, i'm entertained that it always seems surprised to see me.
So, sure, call me a tree hugger. Glad to do it. Trees help keep me happy and alive.
If you have a favorite tree, let me know about it, and if you can find me on Facebook, post a picture there, too.
