Special trees: it's not the size or species, but the attributes and emotions we give them that make our arboreal neighbors so valued - Editorial - the 'Liberty Tree' in Annapolis, Maryland, eventually had to be removed in 1999, but communities are planting their own trees - Brief Article

American Forests, Summer, 2002

In our last issue, we highlighted some special trees--the largest of their species--in AMERICAN FORESTS' National Register of Big Trees. These National Champions are symbols of arboreal grandeur and symbolic of our need to conserve our precious natural resources. These special trees have avoided the ax and the wind throw, the floods and droughts to grow to their full potential.

In this issue we feature another special tree--let's call it a National Champion of History--the late, great Liberty Tree tulip-poplar that stood in Annapolis, Maryland, for more than 400 years.

This stately champ grew on hollowed ground. During the American Revolution, the Sons of Liberty met beneath its branches; George Washington, Lafayette, and Francis Scott Key enjoyed its shade; legend holds that treaties with Indian tribes were sealed under its limbs. Damaged and removed in 1999, the historic tree's wood was purchased by Bob Taylor, cofounder of Taylor Guitars, and formed into 400 limited-edition Liberty Tree Guitars.

How fitting that this tree, which stood for freedom for over 200 years, will live in music emanating from these beautiful guitars. To bring back the tradition of a Liberty Tree, AMERICAN FORESTS and Taylor Guitars are encouraging towns and cities across America to plant their own version of a Liberty Tree as a symbol of the freedoms we enjoy.

Many modern-day Liberty Trees will be dedicated to the heroes of Sept. 11. Planting living memorials is AMERICAN FORESTS' legacy, and while we wish there were no need for more memorials, it's a legacy of which we are proud. In May VFW Posts planted green ash trees, descendents of a tree at President Eisenhower's birthplace, as tributes to those who died for our American freedoms.

IGA grocery shoppers from Maine to California have donated change to establish a Patriot Grove in their communities. And our long-time tree planting partner Eddie Bauer and its customers will plant Memorial Tree Groves in New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and in the District of Columbia to commemorate those who died Sept. 11. Each tree, although perhaps common in species and size, will become special when planted to symbolize the liberties Americans enjoy.

We're also mourning the loss of Maryland's Wye Oak, the national champion white oak. It was one of only four trees to hold its title since records began to be kept 62 years ago (see Clippings).

One special tree that didn't live up to its reputation was a stately copper beech in Washington, DC. It was called "Lincoln's copper beech," and last issue I waxed poetic about the death of this arboreal treasure on the grounds of DC's Old Soldiers and Airmen's Home. Now it turns out the copper beech was only l40 years old.

Still, the tree's mystique remains, As a May 13 editorial in the Washington Post pointed out, "When something is history for a long time and ceases to be history, that, too, is history. What matters, now, is not the tree but the importance the tree had."

That same observation may be made of any tree. It's not the individual tree or species that is special, it's the attributes and emotions with which we imbue them. Whether it's a black walnut that witnessed the last day of fighting at Gettysburg, or the black walnut species that made cabinets for our forebearers and tasty nuts for people and wildlife (see our tree profile), or the black walnut tree that shades Wyatt Earp's birthplace, the tree and the species are what we make of them. It's the importance they have for humans--ecologically, economically, and socially--that makes all trees special.