The Giving Tree
On our 30th anniversary, my daughter gave me a book entitled: “The Giving Tree”. She reminded me that I used to read this book, including “A light in the Attic” and “Where the Sidewalk Ends” from the same author when she was a little child. When I opened the book, there were so few words, much like a picture book.
I read rather quickly and then pause at a full page of text. In it, the tree said: “I wish that I could give you something…. but I have nothing left….only an old stump“
Before then, the boy who benefited from growing up together with the tree decided to chop it down to make a canoe leaving behind nothing but a stump.
According to Scientific American, it is estimated that we have about 400 trees to 1 human. 12,000 years ago before the advent of agriculture, we used to have doubled that. Today, our planet loses an estimated 10 million trees a year. So the next time you see a big tree, go hug, not cut.
Side note: We had the privilege of friends who collectively donated $195,000 towards the Garden City Fund at our anniversary. It will go towards planting 200 trees, supporting habitat enhancements and an educational trail on Coney Island for our children and the public. These will help create greater awareness and appreciation of our flora and fauna and will be a living legacy for our future generations.
NParks manages 1.5 million trees and another more than 1 million trees in our nature reserves. Total tree cover on the island is over 40%.
