A Collection of Tree Poems for Your Enjoyment
Thank you to Our City Forest of Silicon Valley,

http://www.ourcityforest.org/

What does he plant who plants a tree?
He plants the friend of sun and sky;
He plants the flag of breezes free;
The shaft of beauty, towering high;
He plants a home to heaven high;
He plants a home to heaven anigh
For song and mother-croon of bird
In hushed and happy twilight heard–
The treble of heaven's harmony–
These things he plants who plants a tree

By Henry Cuyler Bunner (1855-1896) American writer
________

A tree
Predestined to beauty.
Blown leaves. Antiquity.
Light lost.
Light found

By Vernon Watkins (1906-1967) Welsh poet
________

The elm is scattering
Its little leaves
Of sweet smells
From a white sky!

By William Carlos Williams (1883-1963) American physician and writer
________

One impulse from a vernal wood
May teach you more of man,
Of moral evil and good
Than all the sages can.

By William Wordsworth (1770-1850) English poet
________

Is there a thing more sweet
Thank thus to sit – my feet
Deep in this forest-pool
So clear, and ah! So cool,Hid from the sun-sick noon?

By John Todhunter (1839-1916) Irish doctor and poet
________

The trees throw up their singing leaves, and climb
Spray over spray. They break through time.
Their roots lash through the clay. They lave
The earth, and wash along the ground;
They burst in green wave over wave,
Fly in a blossom of light foam;
Rank following windy rank they come;
They flood the plain,
Swill through the valley, top the mound,
Flow over the low hill,
Curl round
The bases of the mountains, fill
Their crevices, and stain
Their ridges green.…

By Harold Munro (1879-1932) English writer
________

Let me stand in the heart of a beech tree,
With great boughs all sinewed and whorled
about me. And just for a moment catch a
Glimpse of primeval time that breathes
Forgotten within this busy hurrying world.

By Stephanie June Sorrell (B. 1956) English poet
________

Trees

I think that I shall never see
A poem as lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is pressed
Against the earth's sweet flowing breast.

A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray.

A tree that may in Summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;

Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.

Poems as made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.

By Joyce Kilmer
________

To Plant a Tree

If closer to God I wished to be,
I think that I should plant a tree.
A tiny seed placed in the ground,
With all its needs found all around.
The rain to drink, the air to breathe,
The ground to lay upon and weave
Its tiny roots beginning now
Will search their home for strength to grow
Up towards the light of God's blue sky.
So if you were to ask me why
I thought of trees and God this way,
My answer is simple I would say.
A bridge between the earth

By Kelly Francies
________

The Swing

How do you like to go up in a Swing,
Up in the air so blue?
Oh, I do think it is the
Pleassantest thing
Ever a child can do!

Up in the air and over the water
Till I can see so wide,
River and trees and cattle are
All over the countryside-

Till I look down on the garden Green,
Down on the roof so brown
Up in the air I go flying again
Up in the air and down!

By Robert Louis Stevenson
________

Tree in the Hollow

There's a tree in the hollow that shades the land
They meet there on Sundays, hand in hand
Words not need spoken, as they lay in the grass
Closing their eyes, through their hearts love does pass

They days filled with dreaming, soon they will wed
A future of love, and children ahead
A life filled with sunshine and love with no end
And this, their passion, God's blessing to them

He waits in the hollow, his heart racing fast
A ring for her finger, he will give her at last
He looks to the sun, her smile on his mind
Forever at last, all the waiting behind

Now the day turns to night and heavy is his heart
She's been sent away, for a fresh start
Her father has plans for this once bride to be
And he waits in the hollow, by the old shade tree.

By Debbie Mitchell
________

If I can let you go
as leaves let go their leaves,
so casually, one by one.

If I can come to know
what they do know.
That fall is the release, the consummation.
Then fear of time and the uncertain fruit
would not distain these Autumn skies
so distant and aloof.

If I can face the dark with open eyes
and call it seasonal, not strange or harsh.
For love itself may need a time to sleep.
Lose what I lose to keep what I can keep.
The strong root alive under the snow.
Love will endure, if I can let you go.

By May Sarton

Thank you to Our City Forest of Silicon Valley, http://www.ourcityforest.org/
(408) 998-7337 text and photos © 2005 Our City Forest all rights reserved

Tree Wisdom

It's important to have roots.

In today's complex world, it pays to branch out.

Don't pine away over old flames.

If you really believe in something, don't be afraid to go out on a limb.

Be flexible so you don't break when a harsh wind blows.

Sometimes you have to shed your old bark in order to grow.

If you want to maintain accurate records, keep a log.

To be politically correct don't wear firs.Grow were yu're planted.

It's perfectly okay to be a late bloomer.

Avoid people who cut you down.

Get all spruced up when you have a hot date.

If the party gets boring or dangerous, just leaf.

You can't hide your true colors as you approach the autumn of your life.

It's more important to be honest that popular.



- Source not known.



May the Forest Be with You!

Soak up the sun
Affirm life's magic
Be graceful in the wind
Stand tall after a storm
Feel refreshed after it rains
Grow strong without notice
Be prepared for each season
Provide shelter to strangers
Hang tough through a cold spell
Emerge renewed at the first signs of spring
Stay deeply rooted while reaching for the sky
Be still long enough to
hear your own leaves rustling.
Think Like a Tree
by Karen I. Shragg

In Praise of Trees

In Praise of Trees (Brikhsa Bandana)
-Rabindranath Tagore. 1926
(Translated by Dr. William Radice, 1985)
[Tagore wrote this poem in connection with the annual Tree-planting fesitval that he
instituted at Shantinekatan. Tagore included this poem in the book “Bano Bani” which was
dedicated to Tagore’s scientist friend Plant-Physiologist/physicist Sir JC Bose. This poem
was quoted by the United Nations in their publications to highlight the importance of green
earth. I thought it would be nice if MM includes this poem in their celebrations of Earth day
on April 22, 2006.
Regards.
--Asim K. Duttaroy]
O Tree, life-founder, you heard the sun
Summon you from the dark womb of earth
At your life’s first weakening; your height
Raised from rythmless rock the first
Hymn to the light; you brought feeling to harsh
Impassive desert.
Thus, in the sky,
By mixed magic, blue with green, you flung
The song of the world’s spirit at heaven
And the tribe of stars. Facing the unknown,
You flew with fearless pride the victory
Banner of the life-force that passes
Again and again through death’s gateway
To follow an endless piligrim-road
Through time, through changing resting places,
In ever new mortal vehicles.
Earth’s reverie snapped at yournoiseless
Challenge: excitedly she recalled
Her daring departure from heaven-
A daughter of God leaving its bright
Splendour, ashy-pale , dressed in humble
Ochre-coloured garments, to partake
Of the joy of heaven fragmented
Into time and places, to receive it
More deeply now that she would often
Pierce it with stabs of grief.
O valiant
Child of the earth, you declared a war
To liberate her from that fortress
Of desert. The war was incessant-
You crossed ocean-waves to establish ,
With resolute faith, green seats of power
On bare, inaccessible islands;
You bewitched dust, scaled peaks, wrote on stone
In leafy characters your battle
Tales; you spread your code over trackless
Wastes.
Sky, earth, sea were expressionless
Once. Lacking the festival magic
Of the seasons. Your branches offered
Music its first shelter, made the songs
In which the restless wind –colouring
With kaleidoscopic melody
Her invisible body, edging
Her shawl with prismatic tune –first knew
Herself. You were the first to describe
On earth’s clay canvas, by absorbing
Plastic power from the sun. a living
Image of beauty. You possessed light’s
Hidden wealth to give colour to light.
When celestial dancing-nymphs shook
Their bracelets in the clouds, shattering
Those misty cups to rain down freshening
Nectar, you filled therewith your vessels
Of leafs and flower to clothe the earth
With perpetual youth.
O profound,
Silent tree, by restraining valour
With patience, you revealed creative
Power in its peaceful form. Thus we come
To your shade to learn the art of peace,
To hear the word of silence; weighed down
With anxiety, we come to rest
In you tranquil blue-green shade, to take
Into our souls life rich, life ever
Juvenescent , life true to earth, life
Omni-victorious. I am certain
My thoughts have borne me to your essence-
Where the same fire as the sun’s ritual
Fire of creation quietly assumes
In your cool green form. O sun-drinker,
The fire with which - by milking hundreds
Of centuries of days sunlight –
You have filled your core, man has received
As your gift, making him world-mighty,
Greatly honoured, rival to the gods:
His shining strength, kindled by your flame,
Is the wonder of the universe
As it cuts through daunting obstacles.
Man, whose life is in you, who is soothed
By your cool shade, strengthened by your power.
Adorned by your garland –O tree, friend
Of man, dazed by your leafy flutesong
I speak today for him as I make
This verse-homage ,
As I dedicate this offering
To you.

The Salt Lake County Urban Forestry Program (June 2009)

Our vision is to create a healthy home for people and trees, where the urban forest serves a vital role in supporting a high quality of life for each and every Salt Lake County resident.

Our mission is to plant one tree for every resident which will develop a living legacy for Salt Lake County. We will help our partners plant the right tree in the right place, and provide them with information and support to sustain that tree for its lifetime.

That we may accomplish our mission the following strategic plan is proposed.
The purpose of the Salt Lake County Urban Forestry Strategic Plan is to establish goals which should be pursued to grow and sustain a healthy community forest.

The following goals are listed in order of priority:
1: Coordinate the Planning, Planting and Management of Urban Forest
2: Identify, Catalog, Establish and Promote Maximum Tree Cover
3: Facilitate Efficient and Cost-effective Citizen, Corporate and Municipal Stewardship of the Community Forest
4: Foster Community Support for Public Urban Forestry Programs

Salt Lake County and its community partners envision a sustainable urban forest where stewardship of the area’s trees and planting of new trees can create a green infrastructure providing the region a wealth of benefits. This county-wide partnership is collaboration between cities, businesses, residents, community organizations, and Salt Lake County who support the Million Tree Program.

Larry Fagot

(801) 463-5717
Urban Forester
ISA Certified Arborist WE-7652A

Salt Lake County Parks & Recreation
3383 South 300 East
Salt Lake City, Utah 84115

Salt Lake County Million Tree Program
(http://www.milliontrees.slco.org/index.html)