You've Got Tree Mail

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.