One Oak Tree

Listen up, and I'll tell a story

about an oak tree growing old.

A place for friends and family;

a place of stories untold.

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Oregon White Oak (quercus garryana) trees, like the one you will see in the pages herein, are uniquely ecologically important and wonderful. They dot the landscape of the Eastern Cascades of the Columbia River Gorge with changing hue of beauty. They provide habitat and refuge for countless species on land and in the air. They are a true embodiment of the concept of a keystone species.

Despite this, these great oaks have struggled since the industrial revolution and human development exploded. As the story goes all too often, human-driven impacts have nearly driven this vital species to extinction; research shows that Oregon White Oaks remain on as little as 3% of their historic range.

A slew of factors have led to the current dagners facing oaks, the worst offenders including:

Thankfully, we are aware of the importance of this species, and many efforts have been underway to protect and enhance it, led by incredible researchers, policymakers, and foresters across the Pacific Northwest! Washington's Department of Fish and Wildlife recognize Oregon White Oak on their Priority Habitat and Species (PHS) list, and many counties and regions protect it through permitting.

With luck and continued dedication, there is great hope for quercus garryana. I am thankful to be able to be a part of work that is supporting these great trees and this endeavor, has been a personal outlet for my desire to create tangible change, right in front of me, even if only for one tree.

Even if only for one tree (as of now), I quickly realized, and I hope you may gain a similar sense reading through this page, how great of a difference our "small" actions can have. We, as humans, have great power. That much is undeniable. For centures, and millenia, that power has been utilized for pain and destruction in the name of progress. Now, through our hands, we have the power to shift the scale, however slightly, towards true progress; progress towards a community where we live in greater harmony with the living beings that surround us. I hope you join me. Go outside. Look around you. Plant a flower for the bees. Share seeds with the birds. There is no act so small that it's difference cannot be felt by some. Join me and together, our efforts can cascade, creating a waterfall of change.

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As for this tree, it all began when my Dad and I were wandering the 6 acres that I currently call home. We were bushwacking in circles through the thick blackberry brambles and found ourselves at the feet of a majestic Oregon White Oak. It stood tall, sprawling wide and contrasting against the backdrop of lush ponderosa pine. Its browning leaves, hinting at the fall around the corner, broke up the sun that scattered accross our faces.

We (I think it was mostly him) hatched the idea to help free the tree right there.

From the ground and up the trunk, the brambles were completely enveloping the tree. The vines snaked up, hooking on branches and leaves, as much as 20 feet high.

I donned my $5 Wal-Mart machete and borrowed lawnmower and got hacking. You'll have to see the photos for a sense of just how inundated this tree was with brambles — they were so dense and vast that as the piles of branches grew tall behind me, it felt as if I hadn't made a dent.

The lawnmower was a great help. It cleared and flattened out a ring around the base of the tree at about the edge of the crown. A path that has now been known by countless creatures and friends (see 'Friends and Visitors'). It was about then that I began to realize the cascading affect that my efforts were having on the life around me. As I worked further, this feeling only deepened and emboldened my resolve to support this place.

My work is far from over. There is still more brambles to be removed. Root balls to be pulled from the earth. Little by little I will do what I can. I am not 'saving' this tree. It is providing to me as much as I am to it. We support one another — just as it was always meant to be, and always will be.

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This One Tree stands as a testament to resilience — to the profound impact that a single act of stewardship can have on the life that surrounds us.

 

Stick around. Check out the other pages and swing back around sometime soon to see how me and my dear friend are doing ^*^