Planting For The Future

The older I get, the more and more I’ve noticed a difference in myself. Among those differences have been my preferences for the time of year. It used to be that Winter was my favorite. Hunting, ice fishing, trapping, and working in the shop. Don’t get me wrong, I still love it. But I’m starting to dislike (not hate) the cold. In fact, as I’m sitting here, it’s early May. Plants are starting to bloom. The turkeys are gobbling (minus one tom). And, I’ve recently been doing something that I’ve been enjoying more and more every year— planting stuff. Plants, a few vegetables, but more so—trees. 

Let’s be fair—as a sawyer, I can’t help but drive by a beautiful tree and think, “Yeah, I’d saw that”. But, on the other hand, I don’t harvest trees that don’t need to be taken down or can’t be sustainably harvested. Most of my logs come from yard trees that need to be removed for one reason or another. Sometimes, we will harvest timber and remove the big, mature trees to make room for new growth. However, the gloom-monger in me looks at our modern society and can’t help but think of what the land would have looked like a few hundred years ago before humans started clearing it. Just to be clear—I am far from an eco-warrior. But, as an outdoorsman and someone who makes their living with a natural product, it does make me sad.

That said, I like to do what I can to help. Maybe, more importantly, I do what makes me happy. And lately, that’s been planting saplings anytime I can. Last year, it was Kentucky coffee trees, autumn blaze maples, bur oak, and London plane. This year, I’m dropping saplings of black oak and swamp white oak. I may never see these trees reach maturity, but hopefully, my kids will. Cheers!