Planting a tree an act of defiance

Proclaims expectation that there is a future

Our new little Bur Oak

One little tree is not a big deal. But 1500 trees were distributed by Denver Digs this year. That amounts to quite a forest. And looking at that little stick in the ground, I imagine what it will be like 40, 50, or even 100 years from now.

With so much gloom and doom facing our world (what with criminals running the government, obliterating the global order, and messing up the economy for no good reason) it’s challenging to maintain a conviction that in spite of all signs to the contrary, a good future is possible.

A couple of years ago, when one of the four big trees in our front yard stopped leafing out it was not a momentous decision to have it removed. Who wants a dead tree?

Three big trees remained spaced across the yard with a big sort of circle scar where there used to be a fourth.

Last fall I was deleting hundreds of junk emails like I do every day, when one caught my eye. It was from The Park People, announcing applications for the 2025 Denver Digs Trees program. Denver Digs is a nonprofit that provides shade trees for planting. All Denver residents, businesses, schools, and other organizations are eligible to apply for a free tree.

The city of Denver has its own Forestry Department. They oversee the maintenance of trees in parks and along parkways, and they ensure a diversity of species citywide to guard against epidemics such as the Ash Boer or Dutch Elm disease which once decimated urban forests across America.

Trees play a huge role in keeping the city cooler, particularly as summers get hotter and hotter. Trees counteract the heat island effect where urban areas experience higher temperatures because of structures like buildings and pavements absorbing and retaining heat. Studies have shown that the leafy, shady parts of town have healthier residents.

Because I haven’t really cared for the scar circle in the yard where a tree should be, I applied for a Denver Digs tree on behalf of my condominium HOA. Several months later, I was notified that we would be awarded a Bur Oak to plant in our front yard.

A scar in the front yard where a tree used to be

This morning, the day after Arbor Day, my husband and I drove to City Park and got in line with other Denver Digs recipients. With its roots encased in a plastic orange bag, we slid our little six foot tree into the hatchback of the car and slowly drove home, hoping the unlatched hatch wouldn’t pop open and send it flying.

At home, we dug a hole where the circle scar was, carefully following the Denver Digs instructions, and now we have a proud little tree standing in the front yard, ready to assume its place with the other three.

One little tree is not a big deal. But 1500 trees were distributed by Denver Digs this year. That amounts to quite a forest. And looking at that little stick in the ground, I imagine what it will be like 40, 50, or even 100 years from now.

Our little Bur Oak won’t solve global warming. It can’t rid our government of criminals. It doesn’t have any influence over corporate greed, climate migration, or war. But it does testify to my belief that some future owner of our home will bask in its shade and breathe in its oxygen.

Planting a tree represents an act of defiance against the overwhelming problems that preoccupy us. It’s proof of a future. It’s an act of hope.

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