“The Best Time to Plant a Tree was 20 years ago. The Second Best Time is Now”
Old trees always seem eternal, like sentinels to history that stand in the landscape. It can be awe-inspiring to stand beneath the canopy of a tree that is hundreds of years old and consider who planted it and how different the world was then.
Last week someone (or some people) felled the tree that has stood in a dip just to the east of Milecastle 39 on Hadrian’s Wall for so long that the place is named for it (‘Sycamore Gap’). It was one of the most photographed trees in the country and in 2016 was crowned English Tree of the Year in the Woodland Trust awards. No one seems to know just how old it was, with the National Trust (who own the land on which the tree stood) stating it was planted in the late 19th century, whilst other reports claim it has stood there for more than 300 years.
If we take anything from this act of vandalism, it should be that as a species, we have cut down far more trees than we have planted and it is time to change that.
We were devastated in 2021 when Storm Arwen took down a Scot’s Pine in our garden that was more than 100 years old and a mature Laburnum, whose trunk was split and silvered and which was excellent for climbing in. We’ve since planted some apple and crab apple trees to take their place, but they are currently small and I have to constantly remind myself of the other old saying, that:
“ The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit.”
As an artist and designer, trees are an integral part of my life. I’m lucky enough to live somewhere with easy access to the countryside and I regularly enjoy walking among trees, watching them change with the seasons, collecting fallen leaves, nuts, seeds and blossoms, often coming home with my pockets laden. I am endlessly inspired by trees and I often draw or doodle them when I’m warming up, as well as illustrating trees in all their aspects in my work. I draw and paint on paper made by mixing pulped tree chippings, water and chemicals. I use books made from the same stuff for reference and to learn new skills. In the winter, I keep warm in the evenings next to our wood-burning stove, watching the shapes and sparkles of the logs as they are consumed by the fire. I sell prints of my illustrations that are printed on to a range of products made, or extracted, from wood, including my wooden coasters, art prints and cards. And one of my suppliers plants a tree for every order I place with them.
So plant a tree. If you have room, plant more than one. Support the planting of trees in your local community, as well as in Britain’s wild spaces. Or donate to charities that are fighting to reverse deforestation on a global scale. Just do something.
“Of all man’s works of art, a cathedral is greatest. A vast and majestic tree is greater than that.”