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A Journey with Trees during the Season of Creation October 3rd, 2024
By Sr. Maxine Pohlman, SSND, Director, La Vista Ecological Learning Center
The journey began when the Novitiate groundskeeper along with a volunteer for the Oblates’ Nature
Preserve observed the unusual size of a stately Basswood tree on the front lawn of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Novitiate in Godfrey, IL, one all of us passed by for many years without taking notice. But they did, and we decided to nominate the tree to be certified as a “Big Tree Champion”, winning it a place on Illinois’ Big Tree Register.
The next step was to measure the tree and have our measurements checked by a “verifier” sent by the University of Illinois Extension, who sponsors this program. During his visit, the verifier noticed a row of Black Locusts along the drive which appear to have been planted as a windbreak. Recently, our groundskeeper had also noticed those trees and after doing some research, he discovered that very likely it was the Civilian Conservation Corps, nicknamed “Roosevelt’s Tree Army”, that planted those trees almost 100 years ago! Black locusts and white pines are among the kinds they planted, and white pines are also obvious on the Novitiate land. So, we measured and verified one of the largest Black Locust and nominated it as well.
We waited with excitement to find out if both trees were large enough, including height, circumference, and canopy spread, to be certified as state champions. It wasn’t long before we heard from Justin Vozzo, Specialist in Forestry and Coordinator of Illinois’ Big Tree Register, that both trees will now appear on the register as State Champions. To celebrate, we focused on the trees at our Autumn Equinox celebration on September 21st (see photo). Participants expressed gratitude for the Oblates who have taken care of this land and these trees for decades, giving them the chance to grow and serve the ecosystem in so many ways and survive long enough to become champions!
More important than this recognition by the State, however, is the importance of Big Trees for the ecosystem. Justin Vozzo shared his thoughts about the value of the program: “The Illinois Big Tree Registry program provides a unique opportunity to get people excited about trees, the benefits they provide, and the challenges they face. Many of our champion trees are awe-striking, and when people see them, they want to learn more about these incredible organisms. All trees provide valuable services including reducing stormwater runoff, removing pollution from the air, and protecting crops from wind damage to name a few. However, trees face many challenges which prevent most from ever becoming champion-sized. For example, pesticide drift, construction damage, and extended droughts all stress trees and can even lead to their death. It is important that we try and reduce and minimize these effects on all trees so that we can all benefit from the services they provide. No one knows which tree might be a future champion, maybe hundreds of years from now, but one can almost surely say that in the future, our champion trees will be affected by what people did or did not do to support them”.
This year’s Season of Creation will long be remembered as one that aligned us more deeply to the importance of caring for creation at this precarious time on our rare and precious planet.
- Visit La Vista Ecological Learning Center’s website to learn more about their programs
- Visit the National Register of Champion Trees to find one in your area: https://www.americanforests.org/…/champion-trees-registry/
