My Life According to Trees

Personal Experience as an Argument for the Conservation of Forestland

Why is it that people feel so strongly about nature? Why do people chain themselves to trees? Why do people say that they feel connections to the environment? One word can answer all three of these questions and many more: experience. When all present and future motivations, such as everything from the health benefits and aesthetics of nature to political power and money, are torn away, one thing remains: past experiences. A beginning must exist for this connection to nature, and a person who has never seen a tree before is probably not going to chain him or herself to one in order to save it from destruction. Human relationships are the same way. A man marries a woman because they have spent time together on dates and enjoyed it. These dates can be categorized as experiences. In the same way, a man or woman who spent his or her childhood playing in a forest and climbing trees is far more likely to feel a connection to the forest than someone who grew up in a city with hardly any trees. In my case, I look back at my family’s tree farm and all the experiences I had there as a child and young adult up until this point in my life, and I feel a growing opposition toward irresponsible deforestation all over this country and world.

In the 1930s, my family bought a house, a barn, and over a hundred acres of forestland in Huntington County, Pennsylvania. Over the years, they worked to keep the land conserved and free of invasive plants and insects. In the 1970s and 1980s, my grandfather became very involved in the land’s upkeep and even planted new sections of forest to vivify some of the fields on the land. His involvement continued to grow until he became the owner, and then in the late 1990s, he founded the Eden Hill Conservancy. The goal of this organization, mostly made up of my aunts and uncles now, is to conserve the area and educate others, such as students in nearby schools, about the history of the tree farm and give general information about forest conservation. While the Conservancy becomes more influential in the area every year, it remains an important staple in both my family’s history and future.

Not only has the Eden Hill Conservancy and my family’s tree farm influenced the community where it is located, but it has also influenced me personally and the way I feel towards forests. Especially when I was younger and when my grandfather was still living, my extended family would regularly get together at the tree farm, whether a special event was occurring or not. Some of the times I remember visiting the farm are birthdays, anniversaries, a wedding reception or two, graduation parties, or just if the family felt like they missed having everyone together. Every time we got together, we always managed to find time to take a walk through the trees on the farm. My favorite part of the land will always be a section of pine trees that my grandfather named Rachel’s Forest. He called it this because he was in the middle of planting the trees when he and my grandmother had their last daughter, my Aunt Rachel. To this day, it remains the most mystical and beautiful plot of land that I have ever had the pleasure of seeing and walking through. As one approaches Rachel’s Forest, the variety of trees dwindles until nothing but pine trees protrude from the flat ground. As one stands amongst the trees, it is impossible not to sense the eeriness of the scene. It reminds me of a forest that could only exist in a fantasy novel. In fact, if a slight mist was added to the site, one might even be inclined to expect to see a unicorn trotting around. For only such a fantastic creature could be found in such a mystical and mysterious place. That section of the land was not the only thing that affected me, however. Going back to my early childhood, I remember playing in and around the barn and through the forest. One of my favorite things to do was to play on a tire swing hanging from a large tree right beside the house. Another fond memory of the farm is all the walks the family took together through the forest. The times spent learning about the woods from my relatives, mainly my grandfather, have given me an infinitely greater appreciation for the land. These experiences on the tree farm have made me realize the great affinity I possess for forestland.

In turn, this affinity for forestland in general, not just my family’s tree farm, has instilled in me a feeling that could be described as disgust for the amount of irresponsible deforestation and clear cutting of woods that occurs in this country every year. I understand that timber is needed and logging is a business, but I also understand that responsible ways exist to gather these resources. People who do not practice responsible methods of logging are the people who disappoint me. I am all for keeping the forest untouched and preserving virgin forests, but the least thing that people in the logging business can do is log responsibly so that the trees they take are replaced for future generations.

When these methods are practiced, everyone benefits. For the loggers, practicing forest management in a responsible way that sustains forests just makes sense economically. If they clear cut a forest or even if they just take the best trees out of a forest, what are they really doing? They are destroying the resource that allows them to stay in business. What if they replace that forest or those trees, though? Then they are replacing their resource. In doing this, loggers are able ensure that they will always have the resource that provides them with their revenue. When this happens it also benefits everyone who is in some way affected by the state of the forest. If loggers act responsibly, then these members of the community are able to continue to enjoy the forest because no true loss of nature occurs. New trees will spring up that will help keep the atmosphere healthy and keep the landscape aesthetically pleasing.

I am certain that my dissatisfaction for the irresponsible behavior of loggers all over the United States and the world comes from my experiences of visiting and learning about my family’s tree farm. I grew up around a place that was appreciated and cared for by the people who owned it, and that had a lasting effect on me. I saw how simple and rewarding it was for people to take care of the land and came to expect the same from everyone who could have an effect on forests in particular. My experiences at my family’s tree farm and the effect I see that the Eden Hill Conservancy has creates a connection with forestland that leads me to care about its conservation and upkeep.

Reaching the Top

Everybody wants to be a winner. What makes people different is what they want to win and how they go about winning it. Winning really covers every end of the spectrum. Some people play the lottery to win money. Others give to the poor to win a clean conscience or, if they are religious, to win the approval of a higher being. It may seem contradictory, but to some people winning means being selfless. In May 2009, I experienced winning by helping someone else reach the top of a mountain. This experience took a lot of hard work, but looking back, I realized how great the rewards are that come from helping people achieve goals that require a great amount of effort from everyone involved.

The first part of this journey taught me the simple reward of approaching a challenge with other people. The day we took the hike was perfect, not too hot and not too cold. Everyone in my immediate family was home because of my two brothers’ birthdays on April 29 and May 1. This was rare because my eldest brother lives in Harrisburg with my sister-in-law. Since we saw that the day was going to be so beautiful, we decided that we would take a hike. Despite having lived in that area for almost fifteen years, my family had never hiked this particular trail that led up to a flag pole on the crest of a nearby mountain. We had heard beforehand from some friends that it was one of the more strenuous trails, not so much because of its length but because of its steep incline. The six of us, my older and younger brothers, my two older sisters, and my sister-in-law, decided to hike it anyway. We drove to the parking lot that was about a hundred yards from the start of the trail. Before we even began to hike, we had to cross a very unstable, wooden bridge that crossed a creek between the small parking lot and the base of the mountain. On this particular day, we would be the only ones on the trail. When we got over to the base of the mountain, we saw that the trail did not look steep at all for quite a way up. In fact, it looked like it was going to be an easy walk through the forest. As we hiked, though, we found the trail to be deceiving. The farther we went, the steeper it got. The terrain became more and more rugged. We went from walking on moss and grass to dirt and rocks. It was no longer an easy walk; it was an uphill battle. Around this time is when we started having trouble. One of my sisters is, well, not exactly Bear Grylls and was rapidly becoming exhausted. In fact, the situation got to the point where she repeatedly told us to go on without her, and she would see us at the bottom. She should have known better; Rileys never leave anyone behind. With a bit of forceful encouragement, a few pushes, and a few pulls, we all carried on towards the summit together. It was, as opposed to an ordinary day, quite dramatic.

This part of the hike was hard work. It was frustrating for everyone and tested my patience. However, it turned out to be essential to our journey. In any area of life, in order to achieve victory, a person must have something to conquer. If a person wants to win the lottery, he or she has to beat the odds. If a person wants to do some good for the impoverished, he or she has to overcome greed. Something will always be standing in the way, and it does not necessarily have to be an enemy or something evil. That day on the side of the mountain, the thing that stood in our way was the side of the mountain. We no longer admired the beauty of the oak and maple trees. Instead, the trees loomed over us, and the sound of the wind became the sound of scornful laughter. The scent of spring flowers and fresh leaves was replaced by the overbearing aroma of the sweat that poured from each of our bodies. Each foot of ground was harder to cover than the last. Everything in nature that day was reduced to a battlefield. It is not like we were in conflict with the rocky trail per se; it was just a seemingly simple matter of getting to the top, and to do that we had to climb the trail. From this segment of our journey, I learned that things can get hard when you try to get what you want due to that opposing force. More importantly, I learned the benefits of both having people there to help and helping others.

The second part of our journey showed me the even greater reward of the joy that comes from seeing the fruits of hard labor. We continued to trek up the mountain side trail which had become more like a set of steep stairs made of rock and dirt. In order to get through this section of the mountain, we would have one person climb a stair and pull my sister up while someone else pushed from behind. Needless to say, she was not enjoying the hike during this time. Eventually, though, we came within sight of our goal, an American flag flying from a flag pole. One of the most relieving feelings came over the group. The ground began to flatten about ten yards away, the rocks disappeared, and as we walked the last few yards to the ending point, we knew what it meant. We won. We knew we could do anything together. Essentially, we just carried each other up the side of a mountain. I know at least I felt empowered, like I had just accomplished a seemingly impossible feat. We wrote our names in a book that was in a mail box next to the flagpole then sat down to rest for awhile, basking in the great triumph we had just experienced together.

Looking back, I am glad my sister had trouble getting up to the top. It meant that much more when we reached the summit together. I realized that the harder I work for something, the more gratifying the sensation will be when the victory is won, especially if the victory is for more than just me. It does so much more than give me a feeling of happiness, though; it acts as a source of joy. It is like the difference between winning the lottery and giving to the poor. Sure, at the moment a person wins the lottery he or she feels happy, but how long will that last. Money has a tendency to disappear, and the person will not be so happy anymore once the money is eventually gone. Not to mention all the drama that comes with large amounts of money. On the other hand, if a person gives to the poor, no one can take that away. The person may not even be happy about it at first, but he or she will eventually see the satisfaction it brings. Happiness is a feeling, and feelings change with the weather. A source of joy is something that can always be turned to in the face of distress. That is the ultimate reward I received from my family’s hike. I now have something that no one can take away, something that I can look to and say, “Look at the joy I received from working that hard. I beat the challenge I faced then, and I can beat the one I face now.”

The Conservation of the Woodbury Area Community Center Photo Essay

This is the sign at the front entrance of the community center.

This is the room used for elections of any kind.

This is an example of some of the food collected for the food bank.

This is an example of some clothes collected for the clothing bank.

This is a memorial to community veterans.

This is the kitchen used to prepare for meals for groups.

This is the dining hall that groups use for meals.

This is the old auditorium that is used for events such as Mennonite religious services.

This is the room where groups like the boy scouts meet.

This is the pavilion where groups like my church have picnics.

This is the sign that identifies the area and pays tribute to the program that provides funds for its conservation.

The Conservation of the Woodbury Area Community Center

All over the United States buildings are being replaced by even more buildings. A building is torn down here, and five more are put up over there. This is how a family in one house becomes a town and how that town becomes a city. A great example of this is school buildings. A school building formerly held all grades, their classrooms, a cafeteria, an auditorium, and maybe even an indoor gymnasium. As more people came, however, more room was needed, so the people in charge tore down the one school and built three more, an elementary school, a middle school, and a high school, each with a cafeteria, auditorium, and gymnasium. Then the people in charge needed more room in the cafeteria, auditorium, and gymnasium, so they built three more buildings. This is how one building can turn into six. This is exactly what happened to a building in my home town, Woodbury, Pennsylvania, except nobody ever tore it down. Because nobody ever tore it down, it went from being a school to being the Woodbury Area Community Center. The conservation of this building and the many uses the community gets from it keeps even more buildings from being constructed that would take away from the landscape of the area.

One use the community has found for the building is to hold Woodbury’s local government offices. Woodbury is split into two parts, Woodbury Borough and Woodbury Township. Both of these sections have their own hierarchy of leadership, and both of these groups of administrators make use of the Community Center. They both have their offices located within the building and hold meetings in the building. The Community Center is also used for another important government function, voting. The building is used for any elections that affect the area. From local elections to the presidential election, the Community Center sets up voting booths in the room that used to be Woodbury’s school auditorium. In fact, during the last presidential election on November 4, 2008, I drove right down the road to this building to cast my vote. These uses are a remarkable testament to how a single conserved building can be adapted to fit the needs of a local community and its governmental functions.

The Community Center also finds uses in serving the community’s lower class population. It accomplishes this by containing a local food bank and clothing bank. A food bank is a place where members of the community can donate items of food, usually canned and preservable goods. The local school, Northern Bedford County, also helps bring in donations of food. All these donations are collected and sorted in the Community Center. Then, once a week, members of the community can come to the Community Center and receive a certain amount of food. The clothing bank goes through the same process and provides members of the community who are in need with various articles of clothing. These functions are extraordinary because they not only conserve the Community Center, but they also provide a much needed service to the local community. They get members of the community to help and contribute to the overall good of the town while recycling an aged building that could have been torn down in the distant past.

Many other uses of the Woodbury Area Community Center exist that can be organized under one main idea. Various independent groups can make use of the building by reserving specific rooms or the pavilions outside. For example, every Veteran’s and Memorial Day, area veterans hold dinners and services that commemorate the holidays. A kitchen and dining hall are located in the building that are very convenient for groups that hold dinners for different events such as these. Another example of an event like this is the local Senior Citizen’s dinner that occurs periodically. This is a chance for local seniors to get together and socialize with one another. The old auditorium which is basically a large empty room that can be filled with chairs or tables is also reserved frequently. For example, every Sunday, a group of local Mennonites uses the auditorium to hold their religious services. Another group that uses this room of the building is the local boy scouts. They regularly hold their meetings in this room. The pavilions and playground outside the building are also popular. My church, for instance, holds its Sunday school picnic in this area twice a year. A more general community picnic is also held here once a year for anyone who wants to came. All of these community associations have needs and have found them met by one building.

As evidenced by the many local community groups who use the building for their own reasons, the Community Center is not just being conserved for the sake of conservation; it is being recycled so that the community can consolidate all of these events into one building. That way the functions of what could be five or ten buildings all take place in one. This fact not only illuminates the conservation and recycling of the Community Center, it also shows how the community has conserved land. Those five or ten buildings have to be built somewhere and that means acres and acres of land that will be turned from most likely forest and field to building and parking lot. This, perhaps, is an even more compelling argument for the conservation of buildings. The more adaptive uses people find in older buildings, the more land can be conserved in those communities. This is the case with the Woodbury Area Community Center. It has been conserved for decades and adapted for many uses which prevent even more buildings from taking over the landscape of the community in Woodbury.

Understanding God and Nature

In many areas of life, humans tend to use association to remember or learn more about people, places, or ideas. One might say, “Oh, yeah, I recognize that person from this event” or “I remember going to this place on vacation at this period in my life” or “I remember learning about that event in history from this somehow unique teacher in middle school.” One area where this is somewhat common is when people associate a person with a place. People tend to only see specific people in specific settings, and, therefore, always think about the two together or only remember people by where it is they first met them. This is especially true when the person is someone very important but not someone who the person doing the associating sees daily. In almost all cases, trying to understand either the person or the place without the other is impossible. In my own life, this is the case with God and the places in nature I am most familiar with, rural areas and the night sky. Associating God and these places in nature allows me to receive a fuller understanding of both.

In rural areas, God can be seen in many different lights. Some people see him as an artist who has created a landscape pleasing to the eye. Others see him as an omnipotent provider of all the necessities of life. As I drive over the mountain that brings me into the cove in which I live, I think about God as the engineer who has set everything in motion. I see the land as a whole, the trees, the fields, the creeks, the animals all as one, and I have faith that God is responsible. All pieces of nature work as only a benevolent ruler can make them work. The plants receive nutrients from the water in the soil and rely on the sun for their photosynthesis while animals rely on the plants for food, the creek for water, and the sun for warmth. Thousands of these relationships that keep nature stable and seemingly eternal exist to show that God has designed a world that works and that is anything but chaotic. This order adds to my understanding that God is in control. In viewing the land this way, as in relation to God, it allows me to better appreciate it. It makes me respect it and frees me from the troubles of the world of man by making me realize something out there exists that is much bigger than I am. In the same way, a child looks at his house and reacts as though this is the home his father has provided for him. He has no worries because he knows that his father is in control of everything that he sees. In a different way, I appreciate the individual aspects of the land. I see the different parts of nature, and they make me think about how God has given each one an individual life. These ways of relating God to nature in rural areas has provided me with two things: first, an understanding that God is in control and, second, a grateful heart because God has used that control to breathe life into the world around me.

Another part of nature that seems intertwined with God is the night sky. I believe that simple stargazing, which has unfortunately been lost in our society, can be a powerful experience and can be crucial to understanding God’s relationship to humankind. In trying to explain it, I have no doubt that something will be lost, but it is still necessary. When I look at the stars, one of the first things that comes to mind is the distance of them. Stars are light years away. Stars are also vast beyond comprehension, not only in size but especially in number. Billions of stars within billions of galaxies exist in our universe. All of these facts should really lead to one feeling: humility. Earth is a relatively tiny, insignificant rock in the universe. If one thinks deeper, however, he or she might realize that maybe earth is not so insignificant, but instead that Earth is rare. Everyone has heard the numbers about how unlikely it is that life could have came to be on this planet or even how unlikely it is that Earth could have existed. This planet is unique. Mankind is unique. So, in my case, I am led to the belief that we are here for a reason and that that reason probably comes from a being who is above and beyond us: God. God, for some reason, has obviously chosen to be a part of our lives. He has chosen this planet and our species, and making the connection between God and gazing at the stars in the sky has allowed me to better understand this.

When thinking about these aspects of nature and how they relate to God, not only am I able to better understand God and his actions, but I am also able to better understand the places with which I make the connection to God. For example, the rural areas of nature, both as a whole and as individual parts, create in me a certain thankfulness, so I look to understand why this could be. I find that the places I see are ultimately gifts. I understand that I am not responsible for the creation of anything. However, I do realize that, as gifts, I must treat them with care. They are to be looked after and cared for as gifts, not to be misused. I understand that it is my responsibility to treat them this way. This feeling could be compared to going to a play or a concert. While I am not responsible for any of the music or acting, I am careful not to make any disturbances or interruptions. The performers deserve respect for the work they have created. Another example of better understanding places I relate to God comes from looking at the Earth in relation to the universe. I am able to understand that while Earth is seemingly insignificant, it is ultimately extremely rare and has been chosen by God. I am also able to understand that I am not here by chance, and so I have no reason to waste my life because God obviously wants me for some purpose.

As I ponder upon my understanding of these two places and their relation to God, I am moved to search out for other areas of life which can do the same and pull me closer to God. Henry David Thoreau once said, “My profession is always to be alert, to find God in nature, to know God's lurking places, to attend to all the oratorios and the operas in nature.” While I have displayed how I see God intertwined with a couple of different parts of nature, I believe the way Thoreau does. I believe that God can be found in all areas of nature and that finding him can give me a better understanding of both him and the part of nature I found him.

Works Cited
"Henry David Thoreau Quote." Wisdom Quotes. Web. 05 Apr. 2010. .

The Cove

In south central Pennsylvania, a relatively insignificant section of the Appalachian Mountains lay as a fortress protecting a few small, rural American towns. When I use the image of a fortress, I literally mean that if someone stood in the middle of this region and looked in any direction, he or she would see a mountain that would hardly be considered far off in the distance. In the spring and summer the trees on these mountains are lush and full and give the mountain sides the appearance of solid green walls. Within these walls and surrounding the towns sit hundreds of farms. In fact, if one stayed on the right roads during the growing season it would be very easy to think that the entirety of this area was a massive, inescapable corn field that was occasionally interrupted by the sighting of a field of meandering cattle, half of which would be asleep. In the fall and winter the scenery transforms. The fall brings reds, yellows and oranges that set the mountain sides ablaze, and the crops are harvested as though a plundering of great treasures was taking place. The winter leaves the mountains in shambles with only patches of evergreens left unmarred until the spring returns triumphantly. As these seasons cycle through, so does the showcasing of values such as community, religion, and the appreciation of outdoors in lives of the men and women within the fortress known to residents as Morrison’s Cove.

Within the Cove, a place exists that embodies all of these values: my home town, Woodbury. Technically, Woodbury is what people call a borough. In my little borough abides a population of around two hundred and fifty people, five times as many cows, and a seemingly innumerable amount of acres of farm land. In a town this small, everybody just about knows everybody. This attributes to one of the most important values of the area, community. Evidence of community shows up year round, but it takes on different forms in different seasons. The most upbeat form of community comes with the summer. This is the time when citizens come out and are united by agriculture and outdoor activities. People can hardly go a week without having a fair or a farm show, a community or church picnic, or a bon fire or cookout just for the sake of getting together. In the fall, outdoor activities continue, and one of the most uniting pastimes takes place, high school football. Everybody goes to football games. It does not even matter if they have a kid playing because nine tenths of them are just rooting for their alma mater. While football is by far the most popular sport, the winter brings wrestling, which never fails to bring people together. It can barely even be called a team sport, yet people rally around each other as if their children were marching off to war together. Outdoor activities start up again in the springtime along with the high school baseball season and church softball leagues. All of these events continue to be successful year after year in bringing together the local community.

Another major part of community for this area is religion. Five churches stand tall in Woodbury alone, five churches for two hundred and fifty people. Woodbury has everything from Methodists with a contemporary service to Mennonites. One might think this would actually divide the town because they are all different denominations. Nothing could be farther from the truth. The members of these congregations are some of the most accepting people I know. I cannot count the amount of community hymn sings, Christmas carol trips, picnics, and other activities that bring these churches together. A deep belief exists here that we are all part of the body of Christ, no matter what name we add to our Christianity.

Two other activities exist that do not really directly bring together the community, but they are still two of the most important things to citizens of the Cove and especially Woodbury. These activities are hunting and fishing. They take up large chunks of people’s lives in this area. I must say that the individuals I know who are most appreciative of nature are hunters and fishers. These are men and women who gladly spend the whole day walking through the woods or wading through the water, knowing that the vast majority of the time that is all they will be doing. Then, when the act is done properly, I believe that no matter the outcome, it should be and can be a beautiful display of the respect people should have for nature. It comes from the challenge of the hunt and the victory of either hunter or beast. When the beast escapes, the hunter is humbled, and when the hunter comes away the victor, the man or woman should have the same respect for the beast a warrior has for his or her vanquished foe. Death can be a beautiful thing, especially in nature. The death of a deer or a fish is the manifestation of the circle of life, cycling like the seasons.

Hunting and fishing are important to these people for other reasons as well. They serve as key tools of bonding, especially between fathers and their sons. When a boy turns twelve, he is taken to Frederick’s Gun Shop or some other store in the area and signed up for a hunter safety course. Sometime after the completion of the course he is taken back to the gun shop and receives a license and is given his first real gun by his father. This is a special moment for fathers and sons alike. It is a major step in the coming of age process for young boys in this area. However, it does not compare to the first day of buck season. Few things exist in this world that can bring a father and son together like sitting in the woods for hours upon hours. Nature works in peculiar ways to bring people together like this. What is even more momentous is if the son actually emerges successful. A new emotion is felt like the sounding of a trumpet, pride beyond all comprehension. It is a deep-seeded pride that comes from seeing a trained hunter conquer an enemy. This moment is perhaps once in a lifetime for both individuals and passes by extraordinarily in the Cove.

All these events contribute to the overall attitude of the people of Morrison’s Cove and Woodbury. They are a humble community of people with religious values. They are brought together by the changing of the seasons and the wonderful events that the seasons bring with them. They commune with one another in solitude within the walls that nature has provided them. They are a proud people, proud of their traditions and proud of their home, the fortress that they call the Cove.