Rural Hours Response

                


The reading of Susan Fenimore Cooper's Rural Hours really resonated with me this week. She speaks a lot about "the preservation of old pines" (57) and the trees impact on the world. Cooper mentions how it tkaes many years for a tree to grow. It needs time from a seed to evolve into a sapling, then a young tree into a statuesque evergreen. The rainfall it acumulates through its roots gets absorbed and gives the tree a stronger base. The sunlight powers the leaves, letting them produce chlorophyll which allows plants to gather energy from the sun. This process is quite magical and is the basis of powering the ecosystem. All the hard work and dedication it takes from the environment to produce such an incredible tree can be cut down by a chainsaw in just a few short minutes.  A tall and noble tree seems to have wisdom from all the changes and events it has seen. Planting new trees just does not benefit the environment in the way some people may think.
Cooper's discussion of this issue related to this week's 10th anniversary of September 11th. For the memorial they took a tree that was planted outside the World Trade Center and was over 90% ruined due to the attacks. After being cared for and nursed back to health, it was replanted in the memorial and is now just as strong as ever. They are calling the tree the "Survivor Tree" and it is a very inspiring story. I think for the city of New York and the country, it is a symbol of hope for America. The attacks on 9/11 were designed to damage the country as a unit. Today, we have stronger security, a stronger city of New York and a stronger tree.
In 9th grade I took a trip to California and we went to the Redwoods. It was amazing to see first hand the gigantic trees together in a forest. The trunks of the trees were immense. Looking straight up the tree, it seemed to go on forever. I found it interesting that their root system is shallow, but the roots interlock together to hold up their neighbors. The example these large trees represent of community is something human kind can learn from. No matter how important or famous someone becomes,they still need their own support system to hold them up.Trees represent life and can be a great example of community. They work together with nature and humans to produce and sustain life. Cooper acknowledges the importance of trees and to preseve the natural beauty nature holds.


Read about the Suvivor tree HERE!!!