The Beauty of a Tree

Here in East Texas, there is a strange substance unfamiliar to me. It comes right out of the ground, is generally green in color and hard and rough in texture. Sometimes it is very tall, other times not so much. Some have leaves, others needles. Oh, right. They're trees.

As I mentioned previously, I am from Utah. Moving to Mont Belvieu has brought many interesting new experiences, including the number of amazing trees and forests around. Utah's idea of a tree or forest is very different from Texas.

There is something about having trees in abundance that leads to a kind of contempt. In Utah, every tree is a cause for celebration and it is carefully tended and shepherded until it can provide some all important shade.

Here in Southeast Texas, the story is different. Here trees grow without planting and any other effort - it's really amazing. And while everyone appreciates a beautiful tree, not many people realize how many beautiful trees there really are around here.

I recently finished a conference on the value of trees. There has been much research done on the economic value of trees and the surrounding community. I would also like to highlight the aesthetic value of trees. I have seen landscapes completely devoid of trees and anything living. It's awesome and expansive and humbling. But you can't live there. Or even be there for long. People crawling through the old West deserts would look for trees because where there are trees, there is water, and where there's water, you can live. So ultimately, trees are life.

So while trees may not hug back, they give in every way they can.