Living and dying

Trees live and die differently than humans do. Often their lives are longer than ours, assuming they are left alone by people and are lucky with natural disasters. And it’s also true that they die more slowly than humans.

You can’t tell by looking at the image, but this is a section of a silver maple in Forest Hills Cemetery. Something caused the trunk to crack and it appears that the tree has been working for some time to heal that injury. At least that’s my perhaps uninformed assessment of the situation. The normal growth of the tree has been interrupted by the need to address this slow-moving emergency.

I think the odds are that the wound will ultimately kill this tree, but before then it will likely have years of life, enough to create a family of saplings and to help support the surrounding maples. As we learn more about the lives of trees, that complex interdependent system becomes more clear, and it’s inspiring.

And what about people? On one level, we start dying the day we’re born. As I’ve gotten older I’ve thought more about what’s important for me to do in my remaining time. And it’s sweet to think I might look to trees for some guidance.