I have always loved and honored trees for their beauty strength and resilience. Long before I became an Openlands TreeKeeper I was a tree-hugger.

Though I don’t know how old our magnolia tree is, its broad stature and comfortable demeanor allows me to dream that it’s been there forever.

When I was a young man getting into forestry, a mentor turned me on to the chinkapin oak.

To honor his brother John, my colleague Jim planted a swamp white oak tree next to the pond overlook at our nature center.

As an arborist I often try to save little seedlings that will be lost for some reason or another.

Although I have a sad story about the end of a tree, it is also a story of how that tree continues to contribute to the Riverside community and has connected people who share a passion for our plan

I was truly caught up in the spirit of my first Arbor Day celebration.  I needed a tree to plant between my driveway and my neighbor's.

When I was a kid, there was a large weeping willow in the far corner of my back yard. That tree was a gathering place for all my friends in the neighborhood.

This cottonwood tree was planted on Arbor Day in 1969 or 1970. We got it as a gift from our school (Holmes Elementary in Warrenville).