Festival of the Trees

The November Festival, #41, travels to Brazil and the Blog do Arvores Vivas. The theme is “If I were a tree” and submissions are due to arvoresvivas (at) gmail (dot) com by October 29, 2009. (Submissions that don’t fit the theme may also be accepted, but there are no guarantees!)

This is Juliana’s second time to host, and if you remember her first edition, you won’t want to miss the chance to be part of this one.

Local ecologist is hosting a milestone edition of the Festival of the Trees: the big 4-0. Submissions were down this time — we’re hoping that’s just because it was the start of the school year — but bloggers from as far afield as British Columbia, France, Tamilnadu, and exotic Chicago contributed posts for this special themed edition on the benefits of trees. Check it out!

Georgia has asked us to extend the deadline for the next edition of the Festival of the Trees until Monday the 28th in hopes of garnering some more submissions. So if you have yet to post something about trees this month, you have all weekend to work on it.
Send links to info[at]localecology[dot]org, or use our handy contact form.

Next month, the Festival returns to local ecologist for the second time this year. Georgia did an outstanding job with #33 back in March, so don’t miss your chance to be part of this edition. She’s particularly interested in blog posts on the theme of the benefits of trees to people, wildlife, and the environment in general.

Send tree-related blog posts, images, video, and other online discoveries to info[at]localecology[dot]org (please put “Festival of the Trees” in the subject line of your email), or you can use the contact form here. The deadline for submissions is Saturday, September 26 Monday, September 28.

We are also still seeking volunteers to host the Festival of the Trees in December and beyond. If you’ve never hosted a blog carnival before, it can be a great way to learn about new blogs and bring new readers to your own blog. See here for more information on what’s involved.

red oak tree used as a porcupine den, central Pennsylvania

This month I have invited people to seek out what is hidden (or lurking) among the trees, and share a glimpse of a secret with us. By inviting others to reveal a secret, a discovery, or a dream, it is my hope that we can illuminate hidden (or perhaps, merely forgotten) connections between each other and our world.

Plan on spending a couple hours browsing the links and leaving comments — this is a very full and thought-provoking edition. Which isn’t to say it doesn’t also contain lots of fun stuff, such as Jade’s dinosaur theme park photos, a jungle bridge woven from living tree roots, and a video of a hollow chestnut in Portugal disgorging ten people. Go check it out!

On September 1, the festival returns to Arboreality for the fourth time. Earlier editions there included #6 – Taking Root and Bearing Fruit, #12 – Meditations, and #28 – Art and Arboreality. This time, too, Jade plans a themed presentation: Secrets.

Forests, farms, gardens, urban trees, and ancient-rock-clinging-wind-whipped Bristlecone pine stands can be an escape, a place to hide, a space to rest, a home for buried treasure. This month, I invite you to reveal a small glimpse of a secret among the trees. Consider the quiet spots you go to sit, the trees which have stood in silent observation of the events of your life, the aromatic memory of the garden from a place you have visited. With word, image, sound, or otherwise inspired creation, give us a peek at what you see, or what you can imagine.

Email links to trees (at) brainripples (dot) com, with “Festival of the Trees” in the subject line, or submit via our contact form. The deadline is the 28th of August.

We’re also still looking for hosts for the 40th edition of the Festival and beyond. It can be a great way to discover new blogs and get some new readers. See “How to Contribute” for more information on what’s involved.

eastern hemlock throne (photo: Dave)

From our perspective in eastern and central North America, this was the earliest edition ever:

It’s here!! Another edition of the Festival of The Trees, this time almost 12 hours earlier than usual because it’s coming to you all the way from the tropics of Asia!

Jackfruits, durians, and guavas, oh my! Summer fruit-bearing trees are just one of the topics in this edition’s featured blog posts and articles, though. You’ll also encounter black walnut trees (both with and without climbing black snakes), a hazelnut tree, a nectarine tree that split under the weight of its fruit, a short animation about a pear tree, sycamores in Arizona, witches’ hair, and more. Go visit.

On August 1, the festival will travel to India for the first time. Our host will be the Chennai-based blog Trees, Plants, and more. A special focus on summer fruit-bearing trees is planned, but all tree-related posts are welcome. Send links to ringsofsilver09 [at] gmail [dot] com by July 28, with “Festival of the trees” in the subject line of your email, or use our new contact form. (We’re no longer using BlogCarnival.com, due to the excess of spam it sent our way.) Non-Indian bloggers, don’t miss this chance for a vicarious visit to the subcontinent!

Neither fire, nor cyclones, nor hurricanes, nor atomic bombs stay the Festival of the Trees from its appointed editions, and TGAW’s special issue on survivor trees is no exception. Highlights include a generous selection of links on hibaku trees; tips from an arborist on how to make trees hurricane-resistant; a photo gallery of “drive-thru” trees; and an alarming post about the threat posed to trees by airborne sharks. Go visit!

For its 3rd anniversary, the Festival travels to TGAW for a special themed edition focusing on survivor trees. Here’s how our host, Vicky, describes it:

In 1945, the atomic bomb destroyed a vast majority of the buildings and structures in Hiroshima. Looking at photographs of the damage, one Manhattan Project scientist told the Washington Post the land “will be barren of life and nothing will grow for 75 years.” But the next spring, Chinese Parasol trees only 1300 meters from the hypocenter budded.

And they weren’t alone — numerous species of trees survived. Seeing the trees rebound brought hope to the citizens of Hiroshima and they realized that they too had the ability to rebuild and recover.

In the Bijlmermeer Neighborhood of Amsterdam stands a tree called “The Tree That Saw It All”. In 1992, a Boeing 747 crashed in that neighborhood, killing 43 people and destroying numerous apartments. A tree near the edge of the impact survived and become the impromptu center of mourning. “Flowers, pictures, stuffed animals and poems were placed beneath it.” The tree was so important to the community that today, a memorial for the crash victims (Bijlmer Memorial) surrounds that same tree.

In 1995, when a car bomb tore through the Murrah Federal Building, killing 168 people, a nearby American Elm tree survived. Like Hiroshima, it too became a symbol of hope and resilience. It is now known as the “Survivor Tree” and like the “The Tree That Saw It All”, it is the focal point of the Oklahoma City Memorial. Drawing inspiration from the tree, the plaque beneath it reads, “The spirit of this city and this nation will not be defeated; our deeply rooted faith sustains us.”

For July’s Festival of the Trees, I would love to receive submissions regarding “survivor trees”: trees that have survived great tragedies or remarkably harsh environments. Trees that have rebounded and found a way to thrive. Trees that have brought hope or comfort. Trees that inspire us in times of need.

Email your links to: vicky (at) tgaw (dot) com by June 28 for inclusion in the July 1 festival. As always, please include “Festival of the Trees” in the subject line of your email.