Planting Hope

Algonquin Park Pine -- photo Ruth Mundy

We are just back from a week in Algonquin Park and the Cathedral of the Trees worship ministry there. We paddled, hiked, and swam, often, so we're home to rest up from our vacation. On several of the trails we saw the magnificent reminders of an other era in terms of the trees of the forest. One pine tree had an explanatory sign saying that it was approximately 225 years old and likely germinated at the result of a fire in 1790. It was a reminder that trees are the oldest creatures on the planet, and some, such as redwoods and sequoias, are the largest. We also came upon hemlocks, some of which are 400 years old in the park and in Algonquin  alone there are more than 20,000 hectares of hemlock dominated forest aged over 180 years old. We also enjoyed the variety of the forest from our canoe, an entirely different and often more distinct perspective. 

Algonquin Forest Ramble -- photo Ruth Mundy

During my Sunday morning reflection I encouraged participants to plant trees, either themselves or through organizations such as Forest Ontario. Surely it is a powerful act of faith to plant trees which we may never see come to maturity. That said, our next door neighbour remembers when the locust which now towers over our house in the front yard was planted,and she's younger than we are. Recently a one-day planting initiative in Ethiopia resulted in 350 million trees going into the ground. Now,there is a concerted, communal act of faith and promise for the future!

I like the poster for Forests Ontario which portrays a tree as the lungs of the Earth. I imagine that God would agree. Here is a link if you're inclined to contribute:

https://www.forestsontario.ca/community/get-involved/donate/