Oh, No!

A  Norway maple that stood the test of time and the northern Canadian climate for over eighty years is no longer.

Residents of Riverdale Park , East Toronto, Canada had taken a special interest in this old Norway maple that had recently suffered severe damage caused by a catastrophic ice storm, December 13th. Limbs were broken and the tree was marked  for removal by a city arborist  due to “its state of decline” and a work order  was  issued. After many public pleas , city officials agreed to prune the tree to make it safe and do some repair on the mature tree.

The work order to destroy the tree was rescinded and the service request cancelled. This aged tree was not considered to be “ the prettiest tree around” but it’s location in  the park, it’s appearance of strength and durability was appealing to residents. “The Norway” as it was known, was an important part of the city. So, a pruning crew, led by forestry chief  arrived early one morning, and few hours and 55 cuts later a third of the great tree’s canopy was gone, but the tree remained standing.
The tree was given a 60-70 per cent chance of survival and Dan Valley residents and visitors began to  root for “The Norway”. Arborists later reported that there was  no disease and there was never again any mention of the tree being slated for destruction. The tree's progress began to be a center of attention as everyone watched it’s progress, new growth and rugged durability. It gained even more respect as it survived and began to recover. “Old Norway” was going to remain a important part of local life.

Then, one February evening, residents returned home from work 

and found  “Old Norway” gone.

 That early February morning,contractors had arrived and cut the massive tree down, leaving a stump in the snow and branches and  debris strewn down the embankment towards the Don Valley below. Demands for explanation were  answered with “It was a mistake”. A “clerical error,” according to a city spokesperson . A Parks and Recreation clerk had found the original work order to destroy the tree,decided it was still in order and called the crew to destroy the maple tree.

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Adam and Eve were told about a tree in The Garden that they were not to touch. They decided to eat the tree’s fruit and everyone knows what happened! That was, again, a special tree!

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 Some trees achieve special attention, perhaps due to location, age or appearance.Stories past down through generations have resulted in many myths and beliefs concerning trees and their history.

 As elders told stories of the past,  sagas and myths were handed down from one generation to the next throughout the 400 years that marked the Viking episode of the Nordic culture. Some of those sagas concerned trees. The most important tree in Nordic history,

according to Norse myths caused  the end of Asgard, the world of the gods and home to Odin, Thor,and Loki. This great ash tree, known as “The Tree Yggdrasil”, (YEgg-dra-sell) was the “tree of life and wisdom” and was kept alive by the three women of fate (past, present, and future). The giant ash Yggdrasil was the largest of all Guardian Trees; it stretched up to the heavens and spread its branches over the entire earth. It was so large that a squirrel named Ratatoskr ran up and down the trunk carrying insults from Nidhögg up to an eagle who sits in the top-most branches, with a hawk perched between it's eyes. With all the wisdom in the upper branches, it is easy to imagine who resided in the roots! This tree was considered very holy and connected to the affairs of Odin.

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Another storied tree was that of "Thor’s Tree”,a sacred tree of the  pagans located in what is now the region of Hesse, Germany. A Christian missionary, who became known as Saint Boniface announced that he would suffer no harm as he accosted the pagans of the area by chopping down the massive tree of their faiths. As he began chopping, a violent wind blew down ‘Thor’s Tree”, causing the earlier pagans to become Christian believers. Wood from the oak was then reportedly used to build a church at the site dedicated to Saint Peter.

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Scandinavian farms often have a prominent tree standing alone in their farmsteads and maintained to honor the family and their descendants.The care and regard of the tree was believed to help insure the health of the farm and this tradition of planting a tree in   the center of the farm and this custom continues today in parts of Norway. In Sweden ,there is a similar tradition and the tree was
called a vårdträd  or caring/guardian tree.

Here in the US, we have well-respected trees, protected by their age and massive forms that have become tourist attractions,            but their ‘sacredness’ is questionable. 

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However, there is one US site that claims the title of " The Sacred Grove" , located  on a farm owned by the Smith family in western

New York. This is a  historical site of the LDS Church. The church operates a welcome center on the farm, which includes a replica of the log home built in 1818 by Joseph Smith, Sr., as well as the original frame home built by the Smiths in 1825 and is open to the public. On this site, Smith claims to have had communication with Heaven.
 The majority of the trees within the Sacred Grove are too young to have been present at the time the Smith family lived there. A forestry specialist hired by the church to care for the grove has identified only six trees in the grove that were alive in 1820, and  these trees are referred to as the "Witness Trees".

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Our most famous present-day tree might be a evergreen  conifer such as spruce, pine, or fir. This tree is sought every winter to 

celebrate Christmas. It is chosen for it’s beauty, then cut down and transported indoors to be decorated with lights and colored balls to celebrate the sacred Christmas season. After the ‘Ten Days of Christmas’ and the closing of the sacred season, the tree, which has lost its needles littering the carpet, is now carried to the curb  and discarded. So much for our practice of “sacred beliefs.”
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Sagas of our time that will be told to future generations  might consist of more ‘stumps’ then memorable and honorable sagas of our  legacy.

 It’s time to create our symbolic vårdträd .