Return a new sheet – a lesson in trees to embrace change

Change can be disturbing. Good or bad, exciting or unexpected, there is an undeniable anxiety that accompanies see our lives moving. We have all probably considered that this instinctive resistance to the “new”, not knowing what a new job, a new diet, a new house or a new city could bring. I even remember having seen it in my children while they were crossing primary school, hesitating to start a new school year with a class or an unknown teacher.

Fortunately, nature reminds us that entering a new season into our lives is nothing to fear.

Currently, trees across the country are already starting to welcome their next chapter. Soon the green leaves are faded, replaced by the revealing shades of the fall. We already know that trees have a positive effect on the mental health of people, but during this time of year, it seems that forests are only the endless joy. And I’m not the only one to try to dip everything.

What is now known as the “perfection of the leaves” has become a very lucrative tourist form in the United States. A researcher from Appalachian State University estimates that in 24 oriental half states in the country, autumn foliage tourism contributes more than $ 30 billion to local economies. In Maine alone, tourists who seek to discover the fall colors represent around 20 to 25% of all the visitors that the State sees in an entire year. And even if climate change has made it more difficult to predict when exactly the foliage culminates, that did not prevent people from trying to understand it. Tourism leaders in smoked mountains recently published their annual fall foliage prediction card. It is a popular interactive tool that uses data on meteorological sciences to help travelers plan when they have the best chance of catching these magnificent fall views, Comté by Comté.

There is such a majesty in the trees, and this is the season that we take the time to amaze the show.

Perhaps a part of what makes the foliage so special is an innate understanding that it is temporary. Finally, the branches will become naked and we will stop taking photos for social media.

And as the seasons change and we feel this familiar desire for what was, the trees will again embrace their evolution.

Because even when they are not decorated with flashy autumn colors, even when their internal systems slow down during dormancy, trees always support the ecosystem. Their featured leaves are broken down by bacteria and fungi and infuse the soil of the nutrients that the tree needs to cultivate. Insects refute in their bark, finally becoming food for other wild animals looking for a place to nest. Their strong roots stabilize the soil, preventing the erosion of the melting of winter snow. A leave without leaves is not a lifeless tree. Fall foliage or not, the trees are important all year round.

By taking care of the trees and continuing to plant them, we protect ecosystems and fauna. We make people happier and healthier. And we also help preserve this eternal recall that growth is magnificent.

Dan Lambe is CEO of Arbor Day Foundation, the largest non -profit membership organization dedicated to the planting of trees. It can be attached to dlambe@arborday.org.