Timber-tastic Greetings,
I’ve been one very proud deTerra Diarist in recent months, as I get to read through so many fantastic customer reviews, but I can’t help but feel a little jealous today having heard of the love that trees in Melbourne are getting, thanks to an ingenious scheme set up by the city council.
The city is home to tens of thousands of trees, 70,000 of which have been given a special ID number, short biography and a personalised email address. The addresses were intended to allow Australians to report problems with the trees, but have instead had their inboxes swamped with messages of love from tree appreciators around the world.
Letters are reported to have been sent from as far afield as Russia, Singapore, Brazil, Denmark and Hong Kong – even though many of these fans may not have ever visited the city. Although some of the messages are a little more bizarre or inquisitive, the vast majority are declaring their love and respect for these natural giants.
One letter, sent in February, read:
“Thank you for giving us oxygen. Thank you for being so pretty. I don’t know where I’d be without you to extract my carbon dioxide.”
Another wrote to one of the city’s golden elms in May, saying:
“Dear 1037148. You deserve to be known by more than a number.
I love you, always and forever.”
Some messages were seemingly seeking more specific answers, such as one correspondent, who asked one tree whether trees “have genders”. Fortunately the willow leaf peppermint in question was able to provide an informative response, stating:
“I am not a Mr or a Mrs, as I have what’s called perfect flowers that include both genders in my flower structure, the term for this is Monoicous. Some tree species have only male or female flowers on individual plants and therefore do have genders, the term for this is Dioecious.”
You can view the map or even find a tree to write a love letter to yourself by visiting www.melbourneurbanforestvisual.com.au.
Arboreal experts from the city council estimate that four in ten of Melbourne’s trees may be lost in the next twenty years due to old age, though fortunately the city has a plan to mitigate the decline and keep the city green by planting more than 12,000 new trees.
If you fancy making our day by writing a love letter about one of our solid wood kitchens, we would love to hear from you! Why not send us a message on our Facebook page, Tweet us, or leave us a note on our Google + page?
Ta ta for now,
The deTerra Diarist.