Tree love

 I'm not sure if I should be proud or a bit self-conscious that as a fifteen year old I was spending untold hours sketching trees with pen and ink. I just ran across this "Spring Pastoral"--by no means my only tribute to trees as a young person. Signed in Greek no less. Somewhere in my voluminous personal archive I even have a "Trees of Boulder" I wrote and illustrated at a much younger age. Grade school if I remember correctly--I think I was ten then.

Truth be said, everyone on the planet is an dendrophile, if not a practicing arborist. If you think you're not, you haven't looked to see how much your existence is intimately, profoundly enmeshed in the world of trees which provide so much upon which our welfare and existence depends. Let's not even speak of their beauty, bounty and wisdom. Just read your Zhuangzi (莊周): it's rife with clever trees!

                     

Here is another from the year before...signed in English this time ("Pete Callas"-- my legal name at the time--not even an alias!).The clouds are cringeworthy to my eyes now, but I rather like the slanted peak trying to turn its back on us, and of course, the fastigiate firs/spruces aren't too bad, although the aspen are a tad stodgy. The two shrubs perched above the cliff are obviously a bonus.

All this is preamble to my pitching something near and dear to my heart. Like every sensible person on the planet, I've always loved trees--but in my case this love was elevated by some of my dear friends--especially Sonia John--when we dreamed up a symposium we've staged a dozen years now to promote appreciation and serious learning about trees. The theme underscoring the Tree Diversity Symposium sponsored by Denver Botanic Gardens is how important our urban forest canopy is--and how threatened by disease, climate change and especially ignorance and complacency. Let's plant more, better and more varieties of trees please! Dozens of the world's greatest arborists and tree scientists have graced this conference over the decades: this year is better than ever.

Click on the text below and you will be transported to the page on DBG's website where you can learn more and please sign up: the conference is just a week ahead. There's still room for more. If you do, I don't know if I should post more of my juvenile sketches, or promise to spare you from them!

Urban forests throughout the world are under increasing threats of pests, diseases and the effects of climate change. In the Intermountain West, swiftly changing weather conditions and an arid climate challenge us to create diverse urban forests. Our 12th annual Tree Diversity Conference brings together experts from around the world to explore the relationships between species diversity, landscape design and horticultural practices. Join us to engage in a discussion of strategies, successes and solutions to creating a diverse urban environment.