McAnulty’s musings under a mighty oak draw a full circle from how trees inspire us to how we, in turn, might protect trees and our greater environment, celebrating our multi-layered connections with trees. As Maheia points out below, trees that have borne witness to so much human history are now bearing the brunt of human actions that ignore our interconnectedness. Whether by floods or fires, urbanization or clear cutting, we are losing not only habitat for “an astonishing amount of life,” but also the carbon dioxide- and temperature-regulating canopy, and the roots and undergrowth which previously held erosion at bay. If we start with our stories, perhaps we’ll find the inspiration to act with and on behalf of trees, and to give children in our care the opportunities to write in their hearts their own tree stories, through daily experiences with the trees rooted where they live.

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