The History of Trees
The history of trees begins as far back as ancient times. Nearly every ancient
civilization has a legend, myth, or tale of a grand tree. One such example
would Yggdrasil or the tree of life. This is because trees were revered back
then as being eternal symbols of life, health, and prosperity. Historians
suspect that the United States would not be the country we know it as today
without the extreme wealth of trees. As a country with such a massive amount of
trees historians believe it may be the number one inspiration for the American
mindset of constant consumption over long term stability. Historians also tend
to find the 1900’s the most interesting in terms of trees.
This is because throughout the 20th century trees were still very much so the main material
used for building. However, during this time you begin to see the split
mentalities of Americans. Some who capitalize off of the cutting down of trees,
and others who spend their lives protecting them. It’s suspected that over time
we as Americans have lost a great deal of spirituality in regards to our
relationships with nature. Towards the beginning of the 20th century
it’s said that most Americans could identify trees on a whim, understanding the
differences surrounding them all. Today, it is more than apparent that
knowledge is no longer a priority.