I’ll say this about the television commercials from my childhood, they were effective.  So effective that while Dan and I planted bald cypress trees in a small clearing at the back of the lake this weekend, I found myself singing the words from a classic commercial from the early ‘70s.

 

“Plant a tree and watch it grow, plant a tree and watch it grow,” I hummed as we dug the holes and planted the cypress saplings.  Fortunately for Dan, I wasn’t singing aloud as those were the only words that I could remember to the happy and catchy little ditty.  What were the rest of those lyrics?

 

When I sat down Sunday afternoon to collect my thoughts for this article, I had to know about the rest of the song, and thanks to the wonders of the internet, I got my wish.

 

As it turns out, Mississippian Paul Ott Carruth performed the song and acted in the PSA for the American Forestry Association in 1973.  The rest of the verse is simple, “time may come, and time may go, but that tree will grow and grow.”

 

From there, the song becomes a cradle to grave number, literally.  “Trees are your cradle when you’re born…” which leads, ultimately, to “they are the coffins when you die.”  I don’t think I focused too much on that last part as I sang along while watching on the old Zenith in my childhood living room.

However, much truth is contained within those lyrics, planting trees is a long game, an investment in time.  In his book “Pastoral Song: A Farmer’s Journey,” James Rebanks writes, “Planting a tree means you believe in and care about a world that will be there after you are gone.”

 

The book is one of the best that I’ve read since we made the move to the farm in 2020, and it quickly became a personal favorite.  It, along with living on this piece of land, has helped to change my perspective on what it means to be a good steward of “this fragile earth, our island home.”

 

He goes on to write that planting a tree means “you have thought about more than yourself and that you can imagine a future beyond your own lifespan and you care about that future.”

 

As I write this, I’m sitting in a grove of sawtooth oaks that Pop planted here at the farm years ago.  Sawtooths grow fast, and sitting here today in their shadows watching the herons fish around the lake edge while the dogs frolic in their fallen leaves has made for the perfect ending to a wonderful Lord’s day.

 

I can always feel Pop’s presence amongst these trees, and I have no doubt that he envisioned days like this happening when he planted them.  Soon, they will be filled with family celebrating Thanksgiving and again, when we welcome Tate and Jake back home from Japan for Christmas.

 

I wrote not too long ago about the native plants we are adding to our landscaping, replacing non-native species like boxwoods with natives like American beautyberry, big bluestem and blazing star.  Eventually, I want to do the same with as much of our lawn as possible with a goal of mowing as little as possible.

 

While the move to incorporate native plants in the landscape is somewhat of a new idea for us, the plan to have more trees has been a goal of ours since moving here.  I credit Pop with the inspiration and Rebanks’ thoughts about planting trees perfectly capture the sentiment behind our vision.

 

A Chinese proverb says that “the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago.  The second-best time is now.”  I thought about that this weekend as Dan and I dug the holes for just under 20 trees  — 19 to be exact, but who’s counting.

 

Our mix included the bald cypress trees along with southern and northern red oaks, white oaks, native pecans and Shumard oaks, as well as Mexican plums, Chickasaw plums, American persimmons, elderberry and pawpaw trees.

 

Hardwood trees aren’t typically known for fast growth, although the Shumard and red oak are classified as fast growers, but I am hopeful to sit under the shade or at least in the shadow of one or two of them in 20 or 30 years, Lord willing.

 

However, if that never happens for me, my hope is that it happens for someone with Dye, Van Veckhoven, Lindow, or Harris behind their first name, perhaps one of our children or grandchildren.

 

The words of Rebanks again come to mind, this time about his father: “My father mended the broken gates and walls before he died because he believed that this farm going on mattered and through it, so did his modest life.”

 

If my dreams for this place come true, one day I’ll walk hand in hand with one of our grandchildren in these trees and, stopping to pick up an acorn or plum, I’ll explain how their father helped me plant it or how their mother played in the leaves of the oaks that their great-grandfather planted.

 

Planting trees truly is a long game, and I suspect that if we all treated planet Earth with a mind for what it will be for our children’s children, then the world would be in much better shape.

 

Take time this month or next to plant a tree, keeping in mind that the greatest benefit will most likely be for the generations to come.  Until next time, here’s to seeing you out there in our great outdoors.