Over the years I have had many
conversations with plants, to many people it might sound like I have an
unhealthy mental state but for the most part I find it very therapeutic.
What's wrong with telling a plant that it’s
beautiful, give your plants some encouragement to grow strong or keep
flowering. It can't hurt right? Well at the very least we are providing CO2 (carbon
dioxide) to the plant to convert into sugars & carbohydrates that aid
in their growth.
So why continue to talk to trees? They
don't talk back right? Due to a very clever and innovative scheme devised by
the City of Melbourne they now do. The
Urban Forest Strategy has assigned an ID number and email
address to over 70,000 of it's trees and the trees (or should I say a member of
council staff) will respond.
Initially this scheme, introduced in May
2013, was to engage the community, get residents involved in the management of
trees in public spaces and encourage them to report any health issues or
hazards that the tree may be facing. What a great idea right? In such a
technology driven world, what better way to get people involved in the welfare
of the trees that surround them.
The response since has been pretty
amazing, thousands of emails flooded in from all over the globe to council or
should I say to the trees themselves. The subject hasn't always been about the
tree's health or well-being, what the emails to the trees has shown is that the
public and visitors are engaging with the trees, confessing their love in a
modern tree hugging way. Some of the email conversations between people and
trees are sweet and tender:
Weeping Myrtle, Tree ID 1494392
Hello Weeping Myrtle,
I’m sitting inside near you and I noticed
on the urban tree map you don’t have many friends nearby. I think that’s sad so
I want you to know I’m thinking of you.
I also want to thank you for providing
oxygen for us to breath in the hustle and bustle of the city.
Best Regards,
N.
Golden
Elm, Tree ID 1028612
I used to think you were the Magic Faraway
tree when I was a child.
Now that I’m an adult, I still look
forward to seeing you as I come around the bend after a tedious crawl down
Hoddle Street.
A loyal friend always there waiting to say
hello
Golden
Elm, Tree ID 1037148
Dear 1037148,
You deserve to be known by more than a
number. I love you.
Always and forever.
To: Algerian Oak, Tree ID 1032705
Dear Algerian oak,
Thank
you for giving us oxygen.
Thank you for being so pretty
I don’t know where I’d be without you to
extract my carbon dioxide. (I would probably be in heaven)
Stay strong, stand tall amongst the crowd.
Others just hilarious, proving plants have a sense of humor:
To: Willow Leaf Peppermint, Tree ID
1357982
Willow
Leaf Peppermint, Tree ID 1357982
Hello Mr Willow Leaf Peppermint, or should
I say Mrs Willow Leaf Peppermint?
Do
trees have genders?
I
hope you've had some nice sun today.
Regards
L
Hello
I am not a Mr or a Mrs, as I have what's called perfect
flowers that include both genders in my flower structure, the term for this is
Monoicous. Some trees species have only male or female flowers on individual
plants and therefore do have genders, the term for this is Dioecious. Some
other trees have male flowers and female flowers on the same tree. It is all
very confusing and quite amazing how diverse and complex trees can be.
Kind regards,
Mr and Mrs Willow Leaf Peppermint (same Tree)
Western Red Cedar, Tree ID 1058295
Hi
Tree,
Are
you worried about being affected by the Greek debt crisis? Should Greece be
allowed to stay in the European Union?
Regards,
Troy
Hi Troy,
I seem to remember the Greeks razed you to the ground
one time—are you still angry at them?
Greece is not out of the woods yet, but may be out of
the EU….Some say that they should be allowed to devalue their currency in order
to recover their economy, but the EU will not allow them to do that. Some say
that it is partly the austerity program, which has made it this bad. They say
austerity was a disaster for Russia after the breakup of the Soviet Union and
for the recovery of Asia from the GFC…
I don’t know, but then I’m only a tree.
Regards,
Western Red Cedar
So what does this all prove? That there is a connection between people and plants. That trees are important to the health of our society, they enrich our lives in varying ways and ultimately they do add great value to our lives.
I think this is a wonderful idea and shows
the City of Melbourne is the national leader in innovation when it comes to
tree management. This strategy has application all over Australia and the
world, in fact a council member for the Upper West Side for the State of New
York has tried to introduce a bill proposing the same strategy.
Will you be taking time out to talk to a
plant? In this day and age it might just respond to you.
