The reading started off nicely, with a lighthearted anecdote of the writer’s adventure to Bunker Hill. I foolishly allowed this to let my guard down, and the chapter quickly escalated to practically a horror story entailing the mass murder of the trees of the Northeast. The topic of this chapter was parallel to that of the previous reading, as it focused on the destruction of natural land in the area. However, this chapter focused on the specific species of trees. It also looks at how the trees were decimated over time as a result of human efforts, rather than comparing different snapshots of time.
Due to the detailed and statistic-filled nature of the writing, I was able to learn what human actions led to the great loss of so many trees, and further understand the impact these actions had. For example, there is a part in the passage that details the deforestation of the Atlantic white cedar in the Hackensack Meadowlands. The writer lists a plethora of species that would thrive in the presence of the tree, and reveals that the area was completely degraded and ended up turning into a landfill. The contrast between the previous abundance of life and variety of species, and its presence state as a landfill was too great.
Another part that I particularly liked was towards the beginning of the chapter, which explores why humans are so fascinated with trees. One explanation the writer offers is “that they mark time, living beyond our individual lives, and connect us to [history],” (113). Although this is in stark contrast to the rest of the chapter, which details how humans have degraded the trees in the Northeast for as long as they’ve come in contact with them, I thought it tied in nicely to the end of the chapter. It ends on a hopeful note, discussing the actions we must take to fix our mistakes. The writer reminds us that despite all the devastation we created, it is our duty now to do what we can and reverse the past.
