The Tree in the Road: what a tree might mean on the road taken.

Economist. Now, what have we here?

Biologist. It’s an old oak tree, mature.

Environmentalist. How old is it?

Bio. It’s hard to say. Its trunk is grey, with large knots. At first glance it looks healthy: its branches look strong, though you can see some dead limbs on one side.

Econ. It will likely have to come down.

Environ. I would hate to see that. But I understand that this lies in the way of the proposed route and we can plant new trees in the median.

Poet. But it is a beautiful tree. I can imagine the shade, where children played or lovers met. It has a grandeur – one can think of all the obstacles it overcame to sink its roots and raise its branches. It stands out too on this crest of the hill as a landmark.

Econ. We are always feeling reward and loss. The new road will connect these towns and bring more housing as well as a high-speed network. The council will plant more trees as well as wildflowers.

Environ. One concern is regulating the run-off from the roadway. There should also be bike lanes and a greenway to encourage cycling and walking.

Bio. Based on the soil brought in for the embankments, we can find suitable vegetation. Oak trees take a long time to grow, so other trees and shrubs: crepe myrtles, wild pears, for example, will do well here.

Humanist. How long have you all been here?

Econ. What does that have to do with anything?

Hum. I am thinking about what the poet said: that the tree is a landmark. A landmark for what?

Environ. I imagine a landmark of the older woods that stood here.

Econ. I think of a reference point for an older trade route.

Biol. I’m not sure what you mean by “landmark.” This is a mature oak, now partly diseased.

Poet. To me, this landmark is also a symbol of growth, of roots, of the branching inter-connectedness of things, including the heavens and the earth, as the tree is deeply rooted yet also reaches for the sky.

Hum. All these views appear justified. But I think they indicate a more fundamental truth. The tree marks the ongoing singularity of this time and place. It has witnessed many things – all these things you mention and yet more. The deeper truth is in its very presence. What we see before us is a tree that bears witness to this moment and our presence here. It invites us to see more carefully what routes our conversation has taken to this point: what possibilities we have realized and which ones we have overlooked. The tree hints to us our passing moment: it helps us weigh the meaning of this moment in light of the past and the future. Not only the tree has grown older and been subject to time.

Econ. I’m trying to follow you, but I think you’ve lost me.

Environ. Yes: me too. We’re trying to consider the best roadway.

Poet. I think I understand you, even as I’m entranced by the beauty of this tree.

Biol. Why is this tree beautiful?

Poet. It is old, but it’s like the older faces that Rembrandt painted, including his own. There is beauty there, of character and age.

Hum. I’m thankful for your thoughts. They have brought to mind the secrets that this tree discloses to us. Our lives would be poorer without these secrets. We often overlook what is right before our eyes in our haste to complete what we have decided to do in advance. The tree appears to mark our lives, since it is more than leaves and roots, or a growth of cellulose. It is part of this conversation we had with one another, as we think about where we are going in order to value where we have come. We could not think about this without this tree.

Poet. I agree! I recall the lines,

The tree the tempest with a crash of wood
Throws down in front of us is not to bar
Our passage to our journey’s end for good,
But just to ask us who we think we are

Insisting always on our own way so.1

Econ. For my part I think this conversation is meaningless. Let’s get on with the roadway.

For a related post on trees, see here and here.

1. Robert Frost, “On a Tree Fallen Across the Road (To hear us talk)”↩