Source: Wikipedia
While on a short day trip to nearby Athens, Georgia this weekend, I had a chance to briefly visit one of my favorite places in the world, the Tree that Owns Itself (or, more properly, the Son of the Tree that Owns Itself). It is a white oak tree that was propagated from an ancient oak that, according to local legend, was so dearly loved by Colonel William Henry Jackson that he deeded the tree and the land surrounding it to the tree itself, so that it would be protected forever. The original tree died in the 1940s, but a tree which had been propagated from the original tree (the tree’s presume heir) was transplanted to the original tree’s site. The tree is now one of the most loved local residents, and while its ownership of itself is not actually legal, it is under the protection of the city, and hopefully that tree, and perhaps its successors, will stand there for a very long time.
I love this story of how a tree that hosted much of a man’s childhood can become like a member of the family. Many of us who were fortunate to grow up in an area with regular access to trees can fully understand this connection. This is a big part of why I always encourage people to plant trees where they can. They’re an extraordinarily important part of our communities, our environment, and even our day-to-day lives. Planting a tree is a great activity to do with your children, and you get to watch them grow up together, and they’ll be able to take their own children to see the tree that they helped plant as children. Today is Arbor Day, the perfect opportunity to go out and plant a tree, but you don’t need a holiday to do it, and the sooner you plant a tree, the sooner you and your family can enjoy it.