Earth Day, which we recently celebrated, is clearly about more than planting trees, it’s about planting hope.
Still, trees hold a special meaning for me, offering a sense of permanence and beauty in our all-too-hurried world.
So it’s probably no surprise that one of the main reasons my husband and I bought our house was the giant oak tree out back.
The oak was simply breathtaking — far bigger than any other tree in the yard. You could see its wonderful display of branches from all the back windows of the house, and we absolutely loved it.
What sold us on the house, in fact, was an impromptu dinner of grocery store sushi that we ate while waiting for our Realtor to show us inside. Even though the back porch was in need of repair and a board was missing from one of the back steps, we loved sitting nearby, under the tree’s magnificent branches.
It was a sad day for our family when, years later, we found out our wonderful oak was rotting from the inside and had to be taken down. Despite our best efforts, there was nothing we could do to save it.
So it touched my heart when I read a recent article about the chestnut tree Anne Frank wrote about in her diary, while she and her family hid from the Nazis during World War II. The tree, diseased and rotted, fell during a heavy rain in 2010. Referenced several times in the young girl’s diary, it was clearly a symbol of beauty and hope.
On Feb. 23, 1944, she wrote: “From my favorite spot on the floor I look up at the blue sky and the bare chestnut tree, on whose branches little raindrops shine, appearing like silver, and at the seagulls and other birds as they glide on the wind.”
Although the chestnut tree is gone, The Anne Frank Center USA brought something good to a sad situation. The group took seeds from the original chestnut tree and grew them into saplings to donate to winners of a nationwide contest. Winners were selected from their commitment to equality, civil rights and social justice.
In April, the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, whose Peace Park pays homage to Anne Frank, planted the first tree.
Other winners, who will be planting their saplings throughout the year, include a park memorializing the victims of Sept. 11, 2001 in New York City and an Arkansas high school that endured extraordinary challenges during the desegregation of the 1950s.
Although the mission of The Anne Frank Center USA, a partner of the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam, is tolerance, members hope the sapling project will take root in other ways, encouraging people to learn and discover.
In Athens, there are numerous ways to support nature, including preservation organizations and local garden clubs. Athens-Clarke County even has its own Community Tree Council where you can get involved with programs and events to support and protect our tree canopy.
In a recent project by The Junior Ladies Garden Club, members built upon the theme “Trees, Our Living Legacy” to celebrate the centennial anniversary of the Garden Club of America.
The project included education, conservation, propagation, and the planting of trees in various locations throughout the community, including Oconee Hill Cemetery and Memorial Park on South Lumpkin Street. A partnership between the club and community horticulturists, including standout volunteers Celia Argabright, Hugo Verasco, Tracy Crymes, Natalie Sams, Lili Ouzts, Andrew Saunders, John McKinney, Bo Thurston and Ed Smith, yielded 50 newly planted, native trees with a commitment by the club to ensure their survival.
The Junior Ladies Garden Club was founded in 1940 and is responsible for planting the current “Tree that Owns Itself” at the corner of South Finley and Dearing streets. The original tree, which was deeded to itself by its owner in 1890, fell in 1942.
Maybe that idea of renewal will find its way to the Hodgson Oak, an Athens landmark that, due to hazardous vertical cracks, was brought down just this past month. The tree, which once marked Athens’ Old Stagecoach Trail and was hundreds of years old, was one of the largest white oaks in the state.
I was glad to have visited the tree once and have pictures of my boys playing around its massive trunk and impressive, outreaching branches.
Although it’s gone, perhaps someone gathered a few acorns from the tree or already has a sapling or two in the works.
One can only hope.
• Rachel Tribble is a writer living in Athens with her husband and two sons.