A world without trees is impossible to imagine. The tree stands as a universal mythological archetype symbolising interconnectedness, immortality and the endless cycle of rebirth. Ancient cultures almost universally recognised this cosmic nexus. Norse mythology features the immense ash tree Yggdrasil connecting nine realms. The Celts revered the Crann Bethadh for its wisdom, while the sacred Tree of Life features prominently in Kabbalistic Judaism, early Christianity and ancient Mesoamerican traditions.
For Indigenous Australians, this connection runs deeper still. Trees represent vastly more than natural resources or abstract symbols: they remain living kin intricately bound to spirituality, physical survival and the Dreaming. Within this holistic worldview, absolutely everything belongs to country. Massive, ancient river red gums with hollowed centres often served as birthing trees.
Literature captures this enduring reverence beautifully, perhaps most notably in Joyce Kilmer's beloved 1913 poem, Trees. Kilmer penned a timeless ode to a tree that "looks at God all day, And lifts her leafy arms to pray".
A tragic irony underscores his work, as Kilmer later died on the Western Front during World War I. He perished in a desolate, shattered moonscape where artillery shells and devastating bombs had completely obliterated every living branch.
But before the desolation claimed him he penned the immortal couplet: "Poems are made by fools like me, But only God can make a tree".
That said, while no human can engineer a living tree from scratch, everyone has the power to plant one.
On Sunday tens of thousands of people across Australia exercised this power on National Tree Day.
Established in 1996 by the environmental non-profit Planet Ark, this late July event strategically capitalises on cooler winter months. Planting now allows young seedlings to successfully establish deep root systems before the heat of summer. Since its inception, devoted volunteers have planted more than 28 million trees.
While National Tree Day is a modern initiative it builds on an older tradition; Arbor Day. The world's first documented community tree planting festival took place in the Spanish village of Mondoedo in 1594.
J. Sterling Morton formally established the modern holiday in the US in 1872 and Australia rapidly adopted the Arbor Day concept in 1889.
Victoria officially celebrated its first Arbor Day on May 23, 1890, immediately leaving a monumental legacy in Ballarat. Mayor William Little enthusiastically invited the local community to transform a barren, extensively mined site into a grand European style landscape. Citizens, including hundreds of school children, planted more than 3000 elms, planes, cedars, oaks, and poplars in just 30 minutes. Today the magnificent curving arboreal avenues define Victoria Park's 130 hectares, a monument to the foresight of those thousands who took part.
That foresight is still essential today. Modern communities face immense environmental challenges, making critical habitat restoration mandatory for securing a sustainable future. Even if people missed the opportunity to take part in a coordinated planting activity on Sunday, July 26, trees can, and should, be planted on the other 364 days of the year as well.
This ecological opportunity echoes a timeless truth about natural stewardship and community selflessness.
As the saying goes: "A society grows great when old men [and women] plant trees in whose shade they know they shall never sit".
