Spruce trees are silhouetted against the rising sun at Rainbow Haven beach. Over the years, these trees have endured, despite the salt spray and hurricane force winds. Like many other trees on the Eastern seaboard, evergreens have shown accelerated growth in recent years.
The lighter, brighter green of this year’s growth is especially remarkable. Scientists attribute increased growth to the following three factors:
- Increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
- Warmer temperatures
- An extended growing season
All of the above factors point to climate change as the underlying cause.
Though older trees on the landscape are a sign of strength and endurance, new ones are representative of hope. While the strange and severe weather often attributed to climate change is a concern, accelerated tree growth is welcomed.
The forest is alive with new life in its many forms. Below, a witch’s broom growing on a balsam fir, is light yellow-green.
The tree is more than first a seed, then a stem, then a living trunk, and then dead timber. The tree is a slow, enduring force straining to win the sky.
~ Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
For more information on Witches’ Brooms, see Witches’ Brooms in Winter.
For more information on accelerated tree growth see Science Daily.
What an inspiring quote about trees from Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Amy. Well-chosen. I particularly like the first photo of the trees silhouetted against the sunrise.
Reggie, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry is always inspiring :)
That was a lovely sunrise at the beach.
Been a good year for our firs too. They are currently dropping seeds every where!
Enjoyed the link back to your post on the witches broom and our perception vs wildlife.
Thank you for your blog… I always find a spot of wisdom and something of beauty when I visit. xoxo
Dawn, I have read about the excessive seed dropping as another sign of global warming. Hopefully it isn’t a sort of last attempt at propagating the species.
So glad you are able to find something here that is relevant to you in your neck of the woods :) :)
Now, you wouldn’t be talking about global warning, would you? Sigh, it’s a fact and the more stuff we put in the air, the more it’s going to accelerate. No matter what the politicians say.
Good for your trees but not so good for the arctic regions of our world.
Scott, sadly the havoc wreaked in the arctic regions is going to affect us too eventually. We’re all so much more connected than we think we are, both geographically and spiritually.
This cannot be a coincidence… that I should have been thinking of evergreens today. But then, that is all I have been doing since last week when i did 2 circumambulation of Western Ghats – the evergreens of South India.
You know, I have observed that this year the trees have very robust leaves – darker and livelier. Amy, you must experience the tropics once!
Swaps, a quick search of images for the Western Ghats produced some amazing scenes. It is supposed to be one of the world’s eighteen bio-diversity hotspots. I believe it. We have half a dozen species of frogs in Nova Scotia. The Western Ghats have at least a hundred!
Coincidences are simply signs that we are not in charge :)
I did not know that about accelerated growth. It adds an interesting dimension to the whole issue.
Gerry, it sure does. It’s so complicated isn’t it?
I’m going to have to take a closer look at those trees Amy-Lynn.
I love the way you see so deeply and then explain these things.
Love the quote too.
Sybil, the exponential growth seems to be all around. Glad you enjoy the explanations. I just hope nothing is lost in translation. It is a good quote :)
Now I will be pondering the accelerated growth of evergreens all day and looking for evidence of it on the very next dog walk/run. I don’t remembering seeing that quote from St.-Exupery before. It’s wonderful. Thanks, Amy-Lynn.
Pamela, the accelerated growth is supposed to be quite evident in the U.S. so you probably have more of it in your area than I do in mine.
Yes it is a wonderful quote. What a wise man he was.
Old trees as signs of strength and endurance and young as signs of hope….love it!
Thanks Cindy. Nice to see you back.