The Tree by Greg Donworth

Philadelphia Hub, Pennsylvania, USA Originally from Saratoga Springs, NY

When I toured my future apartment for the first time with the owner the first thing I noticed was a large double height window that stretched between the first and second floors. I looked out the window, and saw a wonderful view of center city Philadelphia. The view was reason enough for me to sign the papers on the spot, little did I know that as I looked to the city’s skyline, I looked directly past the best aspect of my new view.

The first few months that I lived here I noticed this large, sad looking tree directly outside of my window, that seemed as though it hadn’t grown leaves in decades. The roots of the tree were constricted into a tight slot in the cement, completely tangled and overgrown, looking like they are almost gasping for air. There are jagged cuts from being de-branched, which gives the impression that previous municipal tree tenders do not know how to properly trim a tree. For the first few months, I thought of this tree as a carcass of a once great tree.

Until COVID-19 hit, I hadn’t spent much time at all appreciating the beauty of my neighborhood, my street or the view of my tree. Day by day my girlfriend and I sat for our morning coffee and people watched from the comfort of my kitchen table. Until one day we noticed small flower buds start to pop up all over the tree. Pink and white flowers quickly shot out of the bark, blossoming in all their glory, but just as quickly as they came, they fell once again leaving the same depressed, but now alive tree.

Then moss started to come, small branches and leaves started growing. Then came the bugs, bees and insects. Then came the birds. Before we knew it, our view of the Philadelphia skyline had been almost entirely hidden by a micro-ecosystem, so rich in life it brings us privacy from our neighbors, happiness and perspective.

This is just one tree, one single tree has such a magnificent impact on my street. Normally it’s easy to overlook how intertwined plants and animals are when you take a single walk in a park, but when you watch just one single tree transform day by day and develop an ecosystem of its own, it truly changes your perspective on how magical nature is.

Planting trees has long been one of my favorite ways to give back to our planet and a community, but now I’m realizing how much more important it is to not cut down trees in the first place. How can we all do a little bit to help stop deforestation?

1. Reduce meat consumption
2. Look for FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certifications on paper and wood products
3. Stop eating pre-packaged foods that contain Palm Oils
4. Go Paperless whenever possible
5. Buy used and second hand products.

The next time you notice a single large tree, do yourself a favor and look up, the amount of life might surprise you.