urban forest

Think about what a properly structured forest is to you. Would you include things like a closed canopy and the need for large groupings of mature trees? Would you stress the need for species diversity and the ability to resist disease? All of these points are very important, but a proper forest structure really includes everything from the massive, mature trees to the smallest fungi hiding under fallen leaves on the forest floor.

April showers have finally subsided and the sun is shining through that clear blue sky to bring life to those May flowers that are itching to bloom. As I write to you from a sun-soaked patio, sounds of spring are all around me. The warm breeze is keeping everyone’s spirits high as passersby sing a happy tune and greet each other with friendly waves and kind smiles. Oh, how I love the city when the sun shines!

This time I was in the mood for white pine tea from the tree’s needle bundles. The eastern white pine can grow to be 40 meters tall, and thrives in full sunlight. You might know this tree as the eastern white pine, whose forests originally spread throughout much of northeastern North America, although only one percent of old-growth forests remain.