An Arbor Day ode to trees

By Debra Knowles and Paul Martinez

Next to water, what is the second most desired commodity in a drought-stricken landscape? Shade — cooling, relieving, inviting shade.

In light of Arbor Day, this is my salute to trees – bestowers of shade, beauty, clean air, colorful leaves, flowers and fruit, and home to a myriad of living creatures. In our zeal to respond to still-not-eradicated and perhaps permanent drought – to say nothing of lowering our water bills – we have torn out lawns and replaced them with gravel and rock, or water-wise plants. Perfectly understandable … but don’t forget about trees.

Gravel and rock, unlike lawn, hold and radiate heat, creating even warmer microclimates around houses, which can result in a counterproductive increase in use of air conditioners. Properly placed trees make even all-gravel yards look inviting and keep the perimeter of the house cool.

Trees take forethought; they are an investment that is a gift to our future selves, to our progeny, to the community. They are one of the few living things we plant that can outlive us. Ask yourself this: Strolling on a hot August day, which street would you rather turn down: a treeless one radiating heat from gravel, concrete, and asphalt, or a shade-dappled walkway graced with houses framed by high canopies of backyard trees?

The poet W. S. Merwin, despairing at the planet-wide ecological degradation he observed in the 1970s, moved to Hawaii and bought a plot of land that had been clear-cut, farmed to exhaustion, poisoned by chemicals, and declared a wasteland. The soil had been so stripped, that even native vegetation would not take hold. Determined that if he could not save the world, he could at least redeem one small piece of it, Merwin started planting palm trees to provide canopy. Over time, he and Nature transformed the plot into a palm sanctuary where some 3,000 specimens now thrive. “I can’t stop them from destroying the Amazon forest, but I can go out and plant a tree, you know?”

In honor of Arbor Day, and as a favor to ourselves, our friends, our neighbors, our offspring, let’s take that small and necessary step, one thing that we can do. Let’s be sure to preserve the trees we have, taking special care of the native oaks that require dry summer conditions on their roots, remembering to deep water and add compost to oft-neglected parkway trees, and to do the same for the trees in our yards. Learn their names, how they like to be treated, and they will reward you many times over.

And let’s plant some new trees. If you live on a treeless block, talk to neighbors about putting in street trees. Plenty of information exists online about how to survey your yard for tree placement, how to choose an appropriate species for height, breadth, soil and light conditions.

Where space permits, plant a long-lived tree that will grow slowly but large, a noble specimen that will put down deep roots, clean the air, harbor the birds, shade the land — a memorial tree, a tree to cast a long shadow.

Debra Knowles and Paul Martinez run Sonoma Valley Wholesale Nursery