There are amazing trees all around us.  And one of the best times to really appreciate them is during the times when they are bare of leaves.

That’s when their structure, size and age are so apparent.

This particular tree, in a Pelham NH cemetery, is a white Oak.  

It has a lot going for it – getting full sun,  no soil compaction (from cars or asphalt), very little reflective heat from asphalt,  & some good pruning.

But it also shows improper pruning cuts and the use of ‘tree paint’ on those cuts.  Tree care in past times used some very questionable practices with tar paints being one of them.

This tree has also survived hurricanes and drought.  A true testament to “the mighty Oak”.   And although it’s already 100+ years old it has the possibility of living for another 400 years!   Its height will be 80 to 100 feet tall with a trunk diameter of 3 to 4 feet.

Was this tree planted by someone in the cemetery when it was just a sapling?  Or was it already there before the cemetery was established?

I suspect someone purposely planted this white oak when it was a sapling with an understanding of it’s eventual size and grandeur. 

How many people have stood beneath it,  enjoying it’s shade; it’s beauty; it’s silent consolation in times of sadness…..

Trees are living organisms…. Essential to our well being. 

Let’s take good care of them – in our yards, our parks, our cemeteries and our world.