Tree Talk: George and the cherry tree (& other Presidential tales)

The story of George Washington and the cherry tree tells of the time the young future President of the United States chopped down his father’s favorite tree. As the story goes, George had received a hatchet for his sixth birthday and enthusiastically went about testing the useful gift. When his father discovered that his cherry tree had been damaged, he confronted George who bravely replied, “I cannot tell a lie…I did cut it with my hatchet.” All ends well as the father embraces his son, exclaiming that his honesty was worth more than a thousand trees. Ironically, while the story was meant to immortalize President Washington as an honest boy who grew to be a man of great character, the biographer who first told the story was likely adding fiction to Washington’s legacy. Don’t feel bad if you’ve believed it. Even Abraham Lincoln was impressed by the story’s message, which helped shape “Honest Abe” into the man who found his way to the White House as the sixteenth President.

Washington’s Birthday, February 22, was named a federal holiday in the 1800’s as a way to honor our first President. The day has been expanded to honor Abraham Lincoln, born on February 12. As a compromise to recognize both birthdates, what is now known as Presidents’ Day is officially held on the third Monday of February. This change took effect in 1971 by executive order of President Nixon and we’ve enjoyed it as a 3-day weekend since then.

While Washington may be mistakenly remembered for harming or chopping down a tree, he did plant many native species at his Mount Vernon home. Two tulip poplars still grow there, proud and tall. There were other U.S. Presidents known for planting trees. Thomas Jefferson was an ambitious statesman and scholar, but he also managed to be an extremely accomplished gardener. At his Monticello estate, he planted more than 160 species of trees including mulberry and honeylocust along his road network of roundabouts, plantations of sugar maple and pecan, and living peach tree fences to border the fields. Jefferson’s trips to Europe provided opportunities for him to distribute North American tree seeds to friends, continuing a tradition begun with the earliest European explorers in the New World. The oldest trees on the grounds of the White House are the Jackson southern magnolias, planted in the 1830’s by President Andrew Jackson. Jackson’s wife, Rachel, died two weeks after the election and before his inauguration. Jackson brought two magnolia saplings to Washington from his home garden in Nashville and planted the trees in memory of his wife. He never remarried.

North Dakota’s “adopted” President, Theodore Roosevelt, is known as the Conservation President. Thinking and acting on a much larger scale than trees on his own property, Roosevelt used his Presidential authority to protect wildlife and the natural resources of the U.S. by creating the US Forest Service and establishing 150 national forests, 51 federal bird reserves, 3 national game preserves, 5 national parks and 18 national monuments. During his presidency, Theodore Roosevelt protected 230 million acres of public land. In a 1905 Arbor Day letter to U.S. school children, he had this message: “A people without children would face a hopeless future; a country without trees is almost as helpless.”

God Bless America.