Old Trees Rule!

The chorus to John Prine's song “Hello in There” begins with, “Ya know that old trees just grow stronger...” The song is a poignant appeal that, while trees strengthen in their later years, “old people just grow lonesome,” so we should make an extra effort to acknowledge them when we encounter them on the street and say, “Hello in there.” Years ago I played Prine's records a lot, and was touched one day when my then-10-year-old son said that he went out of his way while walking downtown to say hi to old people.

Old trees do become more and more magnificent, as the years pass... especially giants like redwoods and sequoia (or oaks and poplars, here in Virginia). I have had the opportunity a couple of times to stand at the base of some of these patriarchs and feel awed by their massive trunks and humbled by how they soar up into the heavens. It makes me feel simultaneously small and grand, to be close to one. It seems a tragedy when one of these behemoths is toppled for furniture.

Trees are also a major source of the oxygen that we animals breathe. They do double duty by both absorbing carbon dioxide from the air (thus countering global warming) as they simultaneously exhaust that life-giving oxygen. We need them, and they are being cut down at a terrifying rate.

There's been much attention in recent years put to the benefits of trees and other vegetation, in countering the heavy load of CO₂ that we are dumping into the atmosphere. But what kind of vegetation extracts the most carbon? Should we protect those kinds of plants more than others? Are they more valuable to the planet (and us)?

It has been assumed that fast-growing young trees are more valuable than big, old trees for removing carbon. But a recent study tells a different story. An international team of researchers published an article in the scientific journal Nature, showing that old trees are not less productive than robust young trees, but significantly more so. Because elderly trees vigorously continue to add mass—even into their senile period—they soak up more carbon than the juveniles do... as much as three times more!

Since I'm rapidly headed into my senile period, I take comfort from the fact that my old woody buddies that surround me aren't slowing down. Maybe they can inspire me to resist the ravages of age and continue to thrive as they do. I think I'll go out and hug a big ol' tree.