Imagine a world without trees. 

A friend of mine once said, "In a world without trees, birds would sing less. Leaves would not rustle. There would be no nourishing fruit and little welcoming shade. The scent of pine, lilac, and sandalwood would be as missed as the dearest of friends. Time measured imperceptibly would stop, leaving barren memories, a dismal present, and an uninhabitable future. Yes, in a world without trees, there would be less beauty, less joy, less life."

Treeless Squirrel says, "I am getting a bit choked up. Excuse me while I go get a tissue. I'll be sure to recycle. Meanwhile, for my sake and yours, plant trees, please."

Blogs I dig. 

These sites offer plenty of daily grist for your tree and earth loving discussions.

treehugger

TreeHugger is the leading media outlet dedicated to driving sustainability mainstream. Partial to a modern aesthetic, they strive to be a one-stop shop for green news, solutions, and product information.

Treeless Squirrel Blog

Hear the tree chatter here. The Treeless Squirrel brings you the latest in tree news, gossip, and helpful tree-planning information.

Arboreality

Arboreality is a blog about trees, forests, and wood, and everything in between.

Ginkgo Dreams

Kelly Schmitt Youngberg curates the collection here at Ginkgo Dreams. She's been fascinated with gingko trees ever since she watched one turn golden in a small courtyard below her third floor apartment in Seoul, South Korea.

Ginkgo Dreams is the place where she records the results of both her tree and design research. Readers are otherwise welcome to submit ideas for content.

Festival of the Trees

This is the coordinating blog for the Festival of the Trees, a monthly blog carnival for all things arboreal. Like other blog carnivals, the Festival of the Trees is a collection of links to blog posts and other spots on the web, hosted each month at a different blog.

trees, if you please

For the love of trees. It doesn't get more clear than that.

The Best of Lonely Tree

These trees are lovely. These trees are lonely. Let's give them company by planting more trees.

Remarkable quotes about trees 

• It's easy for the Treeless Squirrel to love Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) for saying, "If a man walks in the woods for love of them half of each day, he is in danger of being regarded as a loafer. But if he spends his days as a speculator, shearing off those woods and making the earth bald before her time, he is deemed an industrious and enterprising citizen." That is what the Treeless Squirrel calls an "Inconvenient Truth ."
• Bill Vaughan once said, "Suburbia is where the developer bulldozes out the trees, then names the streets after them."
• John Muir (1838 - 1914), founder of the Sierra Club , said, "When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world."
• In Gnomologia Dr. Thomas Fuller (1654-1734) said, "He that plants trees loves others besides himself."
  
• Find more quotes about trees at Quote Garden, Garden Digest, Brainy Quote, and TreeLink

Treeless Squirrel Finds a Roommate 

Hey, somebody likes me. Now if I can just get him to plant a tree.

These organizations love to plant trees. 

If you can, support these fine tree-planting people in any conceivable way.

Arbor Day Foundation

They inspire people to plant, nurture, and celebrate trees.

Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris enables people to do something reasonable, affordable yet with an impact: plant one tree for every book they read. They believe that taking responsibility for the environmental costs of the books we read is only natural.

Friends of the Urban Forest

Friends of the Urban Forest is a nonprofit committed to the belief that tree are a critical element of a livable urban environment.

International Society of Arboriculture

Through research, technology, and education, the mission of the ISA is to promote the professional practice of arboriculture and foster a greater public awareness of the benefits of trees.

Plant for the Planet: Billion Tree Campaign

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has launched a major worldwide tree planting campaign. Under the Plant for the Planet: Billion Tree Campaign, people, communities, business and industry, civil society organizations and governments are encouraged to enter tree planting pledges online with the objective of planting at least one billion trees worldwide each year.

TreePeople

TreePeople is a nonprofit organization that has been serving the Los Angeles area for over three decades. Simply put, their work is about helping nature heal our cities.

Arboretums or, if you prefer, Arboreta 

These places are botanical gardens devoted to trees.

Batsford Arboretum

Batsford Arboretum, one of the jewels of the Cotswolds, is one of the largest private collections of trees and shrubs in the United Kingdom.

The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, Boston, MA

The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University is the oldest public arboretum in North America and one of the world's leading centers for the study of plants. A unique blend of beloved public landscape and respected research institution, we provide and support world-class research, horticulture and education programs that foster the understanding, appreciation and preservation of trees.

The Morton Arboretum

The Morton Arboretum is an internationally recognized nonprofit organization dedicated to the planting and conservation of trees. Its 1,700 acres hold collections of more than 4,000 kinds of trees, shrubs, and other plants from around the world.

Celebrate Arbor Day! 

April 25th, 2008 is the day to plant trees.

In the neck of the non-woods travelled by Treeless Squirrel, Arbor Day is typically the last Friday in April. However, it comes earlier in some temperate zones. And while Arbor Day is a great way to focus your or your communities attention on planting trees, nearly every day during the spring, summer, or fall is perfect for planting trees.

Arbor Day was established by J. Sterling Morton. He first proposed Arbor Day as a tree planting holiday in 1872 at a meeting of the Nebraska State Board of Agriculture. On the first Arbor Day, April 10, 1874, prizes were offered to counties and to individuals for properly planting the largest number of trees. It was claimed that more than 1 million trees were planted in Nebraska on that day.

The ad pictured here was created for The Morton Arboretum by Flow Creative in 2006. Its headline (Plant trees) is set in a swath of green that wishfully covers a stunningly graphic photo from a series titled "Oblivion" by award-winning photographer David Maisel.

So, Arbor Day. It's easy to remember. Last Friday in April for much of the world. It's the day to plant trees. Why? Because, among other reasons, the shade you find underneath freeway overpasses sucks for a picnic.

Learn more about Arbor Day here or from the Arbor Day Foundation's website. A state-by-state list of Arbor Day dates can also be found here.

How to plant a tree. 

These videos demonstrate how easy it is to grow me a home.

Planting Container Trees Part 1

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Planting Container Trees Part 2

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Planting America:How To Plant a Tree (Feat. Rob Beideman)

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Plant A Tree Poll 

Tree Planting Map 

My motto is "Plant trees, please." I don't mind where.

Listen to the music of the trees. 

Now is the time to tune into the natural rhythm of the world.

Treeless Squirrel says, "Trees rock!"

And there are plenty of people who agree, including musician Paul Forrest. (Don't you just love that name.) Forrest knows how to relax, inspire and refresh you - naturally. He has created 100% organic music using real, acoustic instruments, featuring real bird, wind, water, and sounds of nature. Songs titles are some of my favorite trees, including: Ginkgo, Apple, Chestnut, and Oak.

For those of you who like your jams in genres from classical to zydeco, and all beats in between, check out Tunes For Trees. When you use Tunes for Trees to search iTunes for music from your favorite artists, they'll plant a tree for every 10 tracks you buy. Free.

imeem has a forest full of tree songs here. And while the Squirrel Nut Zippers may not sing about trees per se, Treeless Squirrel has a soft spot for this band.

My Virtual Home 

Until a better place exists, this is where I call home. So plant trees, please. Lots and Lots of trees.

Trees need biosphere, not cybersphere, for life. And Treeless Squirrel needs trees for his cozy nest. While the internet provides access to images, stories, and perspectives about trees from around the world, the view from my virtual world is limited.

Planting more trees 

Treeless Squirrel will drink to that.

If anything were to drive Treeless Squirrel to drink, it would be thought of living in a world without trees. Beautiful, green, healthful trees.

Thankfully, Live It Green, LLC , has created the TreeTini, an organic vodka martini. Every TreeTini sold at Uncommon Ground and, presumably consumed, plants a tree.

Lifford Wine Agency is the largest supplier of premium wines to the hospitality industry in Ontario.

As the very existence of the wine industry is totally dependent upon a responsible and healthy relationship with nature, Lifford owner Steven Campbell recognized that environmental leadership is an urgent priority.

Given that insight, Lifford's newest offering is plantatree, the first carbon-positive wine available. Varietals include: Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot.


For each bottle purchased, Lifford Wine Agency, in non-profit partnership with Tree Canada, will plant one tree.

Now that hits the spot.

Without trees...where would we get paper? 

There is nothing I like more than cracking open a nice acorn and enjoying a good book. Here are a few or my favorites.

Meetings with Remarkable Trees

by Thomas Pakenham

According to Booklist, "There is not one wrong note in this gloriously photographed, wonderfully written testament to sixty trees." My favorite: the Fredville Oak in Kent, one of the largest common oaks (Quercus Robur) in Britain.

The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Trees

by John White, David F. More

Okay, it's 800 page long. More than a few good trees provided the pulp to make this book possible. But the publishing of it started as a labor of love (a love of trees) by artist David More. Well over a thousand species are shown together with as many cultivars.

The Meaning of Trees: Botany, History, Healing, Lore

by Fred Hageneder

In astonishing photographs and thoughtful words, this book is a compelling guide to some of the world's most magnificent beings. Through botany, history, mythology, and folklore, it offers a comprehensive study of what trees have meant to humans throughout the ages.

The Tree: A Natural History of What Trees Are, How They Live, and Why They Matter

by Colin Tudge

From Publishers Weekly, "In an elegant tribute to denizens of nature that humans too often take for granted, British biologist Tudge presents a wealth of intriguing facts about trees."

The Wisdom of Trees

by Jane Gifford

New Age Retailer says, "a beautiful volume...color photographs are glorious and varied, rich in imagination and detail...well-written, engaging text."

Acorns may be low on your list of reasons to plant trees, but where does oxygen rank? Or new medicines? Sheer beauty? 

Anyone needing more good reasons to plant trees, read on.

1. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says the net cooling effect of a young, healthy tree is equivalent to ten room-size air conditioners operating 20 hours a day.
2. According to Dr. Roger S. Ulrich, Texas A&M University, in laboratory research, visual exposure to settings with trees has produced significant recovery from stress within five minutes, as indicated by changes in blood pressure and muscle tension.
3. A study from Arbor National Mortgage & American Forests states that 83% of realtors believe that mature trees have a "strong or moderate impact" on the salability of homes listed for under $150,000; on homes over $250,000, this perception increases to 98%.

Children's books about trees 

If you have young ones scampering around your nest, settle down with these timeless tree-planting tales.

The Giving Tree

Tree give us so much. Please be sure to give something back. Here's a thought. Plant a tree for every child in your family. Let them care for it. Over the years, as it flourishes, so will they.

The Lorax (Classic Seuss)

by Dr. Seuss, Theodor Seuss Geisel

Amazon editorial review says, "When Dr. Seuss gets serious, you know it must be important. Published in 1971, and perhaps inspired by the "save our planet" mindset of the 1960s, The Lorax is an ecological warning that still rings true today amidst the dangers of clear-cutting, pollution, and disregard for the earth's environment."

Inspirational videos about planting trees. 

Totoro planting trees

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Plant Trees

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Plant a Tree

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Great books with deep roots 

Some heady thoughts about the importance of trees and our environment.

The Greeks had it right when they said, "A society grows great when men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in." Not to be presumptuous about improving Greek culture, but, how about we get women and children of all ages planting trees, as well. A good read of these books will get us all busy digging.

Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed

by Jared Diamond

If you don't appreciate the value of trees, just ask the people living on Easter Island about their importance. What's that? Nobody lives on Easter Island. Oh, that's right. They cut down all their trees. Ouch! Let's learn these hard-as-oak lessons from long-gone, short-sighted societies, and not make the same mistakes.

Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder

by Richard Louv

"I like to play indoors better 'cause that's where all the electrical outlets are," reports a fourth-grader. Author Richard Louv uncovers depressing insights such at that and contends that "never before in history have children been so plugged-in and so out of touch with the natural world."

The Creation: An Appeal to Save Life on Earth

by E. O. Wilson

Jeffrey Sachs says, "In a lifetime of astounding intellectual productivity, E. O. Wilson has uncovered hidden laws of biology, charted the interconnections of knowledge, plumbed the sources of human nature, and held a lantern aloft to warn the world of the risks of man-made environmental catastrophe. If humankind finds a way to live in peace together, and in harmony with nature, Wilson will have played a unique role in that deliverance."

Web of Life: Weaving the Values That Sustain Us

by Richard Louv

Award-winning journalist Richard Louv explores the fragile network that connects people and strands that make it up: nature, childhood, adulthood, spirit, and community.

Tree Tees 

Show everyone you love trees.

Do you like fresh air? So does Treeless Squirrel.

Let others know how you feel by wearing a Tree Lungs Tee. Or you could be seen wearing the tree t-shirt pictured here. It was designed by Oliver, using a one of his beautiful drawings as inspiration.

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Treeless Squirrel says planting trees is Del.icio.us 

A list of helpful sites that will give you the needed know how to plant trees.

Chicago's Green Man 

His home's motto is Urbs in Horto.

Since 1989, 500,000 trees have been planted in Chicago, IL. (Now that's what the Treeless Squirrel calls a fantastic start.)

Who's responsible? The Green Man. Not the one pictured here. But this one. He is Chicago's one and only Mayor Richard M. Daley.

His honorableness is on a mission to make his part of the world, the great green city of Chicago, greener and more beautiful than ever. But don't take a Treeless Squirrel's word for it. TIME Magazine said the same thing.

Yep, a visit to places such as Garfield Park Conservatory or Chicago Botanic Garden or Millennium Park shows clearly one how much Chicago digs all things green.

Chicago Uncommon has wonderful photographs of the natural beauty that fills this arboreal city, too.

Discover all Chicago has to offer in the way outdoors activities here. And while you are out and about, consider stopping by one of Chicago's tree nurseries and pick out a tree to plant this Arbor Day.

Treeless Squirrel presents: twelve words to Mad Lib. 

Which is your favorite tree? 

Vote for the tree you most want to plant.

If you want more choices to choose from, the Arbor Day Foundation has a great list of 201 trees and shrubs to help you determine which tree is the right tree for you. Rumor has it that Treeless Squirrel leans toward Black Walnuts and White Oaks.

Planting 7000 Oaks: a work of art, an act of love 

It's not easy to appreciate some contemporary art, but the Treeless Squirrel can definitely wrap his head around this installation.

In 1982, artist Joeseph Beuys began creating remarkable work of art called 7000 Oaks.

Regarding the intent of the project, Beuys said, "I believe that planting these oaks is necessary not only in biospheric terms, that is to say, in the context of matter and ecology, but in that it will raise ecological consciousness...raise it increasingly, in the course of the years to come, because we shall never stop planting.

Thus, 7000 Oaks is a sculpture referring to peoples' life, to their everyday work. That is my concept of art which I call the extended concept or art of the social sculpture."

To learn more, visit Dia, a nonprofit institution founded in 1974, internationally renowned for initiating, supporting, presenting, and preserving art projects, here.

Tree Planting tees on CafePress 

Look good while you're planting trees.

"Eye Heart Trees" Women's Cap Sleeve T-S

Dark Green Tread Lightly T-shirt

O2 Tree Organic Cotton Tee

Planting Ceremonial Trees 

Plant trees to celebrate special occasions, as well as memorialize poignant moments, and you'll add meaning that last more than a lifetime.

5th Wedding Anniversary

According to Sheri & Bob Stritof of About.com, "The strength of your marriage bond is represented by the traditional gift of wood for your 5th anniversary. Wood is strong and long-lasting." And they suggest planting a tree together as a traditional 5th wedding anniversary gift.

Birth of a Child

The Children's Forest is being planted by "Men of the Trees" in western Australia. They believe "The symbolism of tree planting as an expression of hope, a celebration of life itself, could be no more fitting than when associated with the birth of a new baby."

Death of a Loved One

The ritual of planting a tree in the memory of a loved one is is practiced by faiths from many cultures. Followers of Judaism and Christianity often offer specific stories or prayers to make the moment more meaningful. TreeGivers has been helping people express sympathy to families since 1981 by planting trees.

Family Tradition

eHow's Allana Baroni has simple instructions for making planting trees a family tradition.

Commemorate Accomplishment

For a community project, 140 seventh-graders from the 2007 GREAT graduating class at John Young Middle School planted a tree in their new, outdoor study garden.

There is nothing more lovely than a tree. 

A few pictures of nature's greatest gift.

American architect Frank Lloyd Wright loved nature. And he said wonderful things about trees, including this, "Simplicity in art, rightly understood, is a synthetic, positive quality in which we may see evidence of mind, breadth of scheme, wealth of detail, and withal a sense of completeness found in a tree or a flower. A work may have the delicacies of a rare orchid or the staunch fortitude of the oak and still be simple. A thing to be simple needs only to be true to itself in organic sense."

Tree by the Valley

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Urban Forestry 

TreeLink

Their focus is to improve urban and community forests by providing
Internet-based information, tools and inspiration.

Society of Municipal Arborists

Founded in 1964, the SMA is an organization of municipal arborists and urban foresters. Its membership also includes consultants, commercial firms and citizens who actively practice or support some facet of municipal forestry.

Urban Forestry South EXPO

Providing resources to support urban and community forests in the southeastern US.

Why hire an arborist? 

Tree Transplantation 

The next best thing to planting a tree is transplanting one.

According to experts at North Dakota State University of Agriculture and Applied Science, "Whenever trees and shrubs are purchased and planted, they are being transplanted.

Before transplanting a woody plant, evaluate whether or not the tree or shrub is likely to be a successful transplant. Transplanting stresses trees and shrubs. Such stress may cause plants to die or to become unattractive. Plants which are already in advanced stages of decline are especially likely to succumb to transplantation stress.

If you are looking to move existing trees, it could take special equipment like the rigs from Big John or Dutchman Industries. In the right hands, this sort of equipment and knowledge can do amazing things like moving a giant Cypress tree at Pebble Beach. But jobs such as that require the expertise of professionals like those working at Environmental Design, Greenwoods, or Heartwood Consulting Services.

Don't stop the digital presses! 

Here's the latest news about plant trees.

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Don't stop the digital presses! 

Here's the latest news about Environmentalism.

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Tree Planting Consciousness Poll 

Treeless Squirrel wants to know, "Why do you plant trees?" 

Please share your thoughts about the importance of planting trees for a greener, healthier, and more beautiful world.