Tree History

I’m sure most of you will sit this night with your spruce tree looking resplendent. It makes you feel good, warm and safe as you look upon it. But please spare a thought for all your fellow humans living on the streets, and the homeless of the world sheltering under a tree this Christmas.

Who is closer to the spirit of the earth? The man sleeping  under a tree each day, or the one with a token tree for a few weeks?

For the last 400 million years, trees have dominated the vegetation of our planet, providing life giving oxygen and enriching the soil. For thousands of years, we have cleared the forests, removing the trees for shelter and fire.

In the space created we grew crops and grazed our animals. The trees we cut down provided many of our needs – food, medicine, tools and most importantly fire. With fire we could cook, keep warm and extract metals from the earth. With this we made copper, then steel axes.

This enabled us to build fine wooden houses, boats that sailed and explored the world. The most magnificent temples of the Aztecs and Incas, the pyramids and Stone Henge, would not have been built without trees. They were used for sledges, rollers and scaffolding, to build these everlasting enigmas.

The tree is your true friend, without it you would not be here. If you’re poor like me, cut some bunches from a tree you like, stick them in a pot, and hang some decorations – it’s as good as any Christmas tree – and feel the warmth of your friend.

But alas, the one I made has gone. I thought Scruffy my dog was rather quiet as I wrote this last night. I heard a bump and a crash, and upon investigation she had eaten my chocolate fairy, and was busy chewing the branches of my ruined tree.

 Oh well, back down the woods. Happy Christmas hippies, Paul and Scruffy.

 Published in The  Big Issue December 2008