Proverbs 22:2“The leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations”
Today the challenge is to look at the months ahead. What are the celebrations ahead, birthdays, anniversaries, weddings etc. Plan to plant a tree for that date. (Or many trees!)
There are some things to bear in mind – it is important to choose an indigenous tree, it’s much more likely to survive, will be less water guzzling, and will improve the eco-system, attracting pollinators.
Secondly you need to plan to grow a tree, not just plant it. How will it be watered? Who will do that regularly but especially during summer? It may take as long as two years until the roots reach down to the water table. So, work out how that will happen before you plant.
Across the communion people are planting wedding trees, baptism trees, birthday trees. A growing number of bishops are giving confirmation candidates a tree sapling as a symbol of their spiritual growth.
And during COVID, many people were not able to attend funerals, so there has been a lot of people who planted Memorial trees in honour of those who passed away.
Trees really are for the healing of the nations:
- By intercepting and absorbing rain, they reduce stormwater runoff
- They absorb and store carbon dioxide
- By creating shade, they cool the area
- They help clean air pollution