Editorial: Sonomans going out on a limb to conserve public trees

'Once there was a tree and she loved a little boy… And the boy loved the tree very much. And the tree was happy' – Shel Silverstein, 'The Giving Tree'

Sure, Sonoma loves its trees. But how do we fare next to the renowned 18th century Bishnoi villagers?

Here's their timbery tale of woe: In India circa 1730, the maharajah wanted to build himself a grand new palace and thus ordered his soldiers to gather wood from the forest village of Khejarli, inhabited by the environmentally minded followers of Bishnoi, a religion which forbade the harming of trees or animals. So when the soldiers began chopping down the forest's prized acacias, the villagers decided to literally hug the trees in protest, allegedly declaring that 'a chopped head is cheaper than a felled tree.' The soldiers, as it happened, were more than happy to oblige and decapitated more than 360 villagers until the maharajah was impressed enough by their resolve to halt the beheadings and spare the remaining forest.

Let's be blunt: Sonomans are no Bishnois. And thank goodness for that. If we went around letting every maharajah cut us down to size like that, it would singlehandedly stymie the entire U.S. botulinum industry.

That being said, when it comes to saving trees, this town is worth its weight in xylem.

Just last month two popular schoolyard trees were 'pardoned' by school authorities, despite being situated in the middle of works projects at Flowery and Sonoma Charter elementary schools – the latter being a Canary palm sitting smack dab in centerfield of a baseball diamond. In both cases, a handful of parents and teachers launched online awareness campaigns as to the trees' plights – and school district officials publically sided with the trees. (And perhaps secured a distinct home-field advantage for Charter School ball games.)

Not only that, but currently the Sonoma Ecology Center is raising funds for an ambitious tree-planting program to take place in the near future along Highway 12.

Rest assured, there are those out there who will belittle making such a fuss over 'every tree,' which, according to Genesis 1:29, humankind has dominion over and 'shall use for meat.'

Heck, if Sonoma's not careful, we'll be accused of a furthering a 'photosynthesexual agenda' and demanding 'special rights' for deciduous trees who want to marry coniferous.

But for the moment, public trees are having a breezy time of it in the Valley.

The trees may not win every battle, however. There's still the issue of 17 red oaks on Broadway whose roots may or may not be creating a pedestrian hazard and infiltrating underground pipelines.

And we should point out that working around the oak tree at Flowery in the district's effort to restructure the school's parking design, could add tens of thousands of dollars to the project.

There will be times when nature and human development cross paths – and nature will draw the short end of the stick. And the sharp end of the axe.

Which is why it's good to keep in mind that, while parking lots and flat sidewalks have their place – trees, too, offer their share of intangibles that can't be measured with architectural scales and engineering lasers.

At the end of Shel Silverstein's 'The Giving Tree,' quoted at top, the 'boy' has become a man and no longer seeks love from the tree, but rather its raw materials – apples to sell, limbs for a house, its trunk to build a boat.

In the final pages, the 'boy' is an old man, the tree nothing but a stump. And the boy, weary from a life of seeking gain, says all he wants now is a 'quiet place to sit and rest.'

'Well, an old stump is good for sitting and resting,' says the tree. 'Come, Boy, sit down and rest.'

And the boy did. And the tree was happy.

Email Jason at jason.walsh@sonomanews.com.