My brother wrote this poem about the walnut trees in our maternal grandparent’s backyard. I loved it and asked if I could share it on my website and he accepted. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
The Walnut Tree
by Broden Abbott
Strong and steady,
Whispering in the wind,
Amber leaves flutter to the ground far below.
The thumping of the hulls like drums,
Gravity’s slow song. A hearty harvest.
Winter approaches. For a while yet, the light dances through branches.
There it stands, resolute, ready for the Spring Rain that may not come.
Waiting, the drops of early May stream gloriously down the trunk.
Another desert sun. Another arid winter. Yet still unbroken.
Many trips around Sol, many happy gatherings under green leaves. All is well.
Then comes Man, with his god given dominion.
Gone.
Yet the saw spares the nuts. Ingenuity strikes. The hour is upon us!
Bursting forth from darkness, sprouting ever upward towards the heavens,
The Walnut Tree is filled with vigor.
A second chance.
In the photo taken by Broden, there are two walnut trees. The walnut on the right was removed due to a neighbor’s child having a severe nut allergy. Our grandparents removed the tree for the safety of the child.
However, the tree’s life wasn’t taken in vain. Folks came to pick up the wood for projects and firewood. A bowl and vessel (photographs taken by our maternal uncle, Drew Bartholomew) were made by a neighbor to honor the memory of our grandfather and the walnut tree.
Photography by Drew BartholomewPhotography by Drew Bartholomew
How can we honor the plant-people (e.g. trees) and the human-people in our communities daily within the seasonal cycles of loss and renewal?
This week we are preparing for our presentation in Taos, exploring the relationship between plants and their maps.
If you’ve ever wondered why plants are vital to your community, how to collect data and use that data to make management decisions, this is the community event for you.
Register below for this free in-person event as there is limited seating available.
There are five live webinars for free ISA CEUs available this week.
Tuesday, April 14
California Tree Pests: Identification, Impact, and Strategies @ 12:00pm Mountain
Join us for a one-hour webinar focused on the rising threat of emerging tree pests impacting California’s urban and landscape trees. Learn how pests such as the invasive shot hole borer, goldspotted oak borer, and other non-native species are altering tree health, biodiversity, and management priorities across the state. Discover the latest science-based detection tools, treatment timing, and integrated pest management practices guided by the ISA Western Chapter’s best standards. Strengthen your expertise and help your clients, communities, and landscapes stay resilient in the face of California’s evolving pest challenges.
Unlocking the Power of Tree Inventory Data @11:00am Mountain
Tree inventories are far more than a catalog of species, size, condition, and location—they are dynamic management tools that can drive smarter decisions, streamline daily operations, and strengthen long-term urban forest management.
In Unlocking the Power of Tree Inventory Data, we pull back the curtain on one city that leverages tree inventory software to support every facet of its daily urban forestry operations.
Join us for a one-hour webinar exploring the growing threat of bark beetles across the Rocky Mountain region. Learn how species like the mountain pine beetle and spruce beetle are reshaping forest and landscape health and discover practical, science-based management strategies to protect high-value trees. Gain insights into early detection, treatment timing, and effective client communication. Strengthen your expertise and prepare your business or municipality to lead in resilient tree care amid changing mountain ecosystem
The Southwest is beginning to warm up and it’s time to be thinking about water management. Please contact us if you’re seeking an independent ecosystem management evaluation.
They’re Coming – the 2026 Pests of the Landscape @ 10:00am Mountain
Join Brian Eshenaur, NYS IPM Program at Cornell University, as he returns to discuss the potential insects and diseases of importance for the upcoming growing season.
Join us for a one-hour webinar focused on identifying and managing bark beetle threats in the Pacific Northwest. Learn how species affecting the region’s forests and landscapes are impacting tree health, canopy cover, and long-term ecosystem stability. Discover practical, science-based strategies for early detection, risk assessment, treatment timing, and integrated pest management to protect high-value trees. Strengthen your expertise and prepare your team or community to maintain resilient, healthy landscapes in the face of evolving bark beetle challenges.
If you’re an ecosystem manager wondering how to prepare for this summer, click below to begin developing sustainable systems of care for the land that you steward.
Access free ISA CEUs through Arborist News offerings as a member of ISA. Click “My ISA”, then “Online Learning Center”, login, then open the hamburger menu on the side and click “Course Catalog”. Browse for free ISA CEUS.
For those of us in the northern hemisphere, this time of year is crucial for deciduous trees. They need to make enough sugar to seal their wounds from last year, prepare for an incoming scorching summer, defend against pests and pathogens, AND produce fruit. Instead of pruning right now, water and monitor!
A general rule of thumb for watering trees (even established ones!) is to follow 1 inch in diameter (at breast height) = 5-10 (or more) gallons of water per week, depending on species, climate, soil type, etc.
Make sure to water the roots all the way to the dripline–don’t water the trunk or focusing on watering the lawn.
Even though this amount of water per week may seem like a lot, humans need to consume about a gallon of water per day; about 7 gallons for a whole week. Trees are larger than us and don’t need much aside from a little extra water and specialized care occasionally.
There are two live webinars for free ISA CEUs available this week.
Thursday, March 26
Cross Department Collaboration – Serving Together with Shared Vision @ 10:00am Mountain
Join us for a special planning workshop with ICLEI where we’ll share a tool to facilitate cross department collaboration and help build consensus with our partners in urban forestry and the spaces we share in our cities. Plus, we’ll present a case study from New Orleans, LA focused on how they’re applying cross department collaboration to resolve conflict with their state department of transportation.
Reaching Canopy Goals Require More Than Just “Planting” @ 10:00am Mountain
Among the common factors affecting the survival of newly planted trees, under-watering and over-watering are the top two. Providing water to newly planted trees for the first 2-5 years is critical for their survival and growth to receive the benefits and return on investment. We all have seen and probably participated in one of the tree planting projects “Million Trees XYZ City” in the spring on exactly one of two days: Earth Day or Arbor Day. It is a great photo opportunity for politicians, but how about following up with watering on the hot summer days and/or during droughts! Trees die. Next spring will bring a new round of tree-planting projects, sometimes at the exact same locations. One thing that proves this is that you can easily find your local political leaders in news reports for tree-planting events in the spring, but you cannot find a photo of them watering trees in the summer. Is there anything we can do to give trees a better chance to survive? By examining the situation and looking at the root of the problem, the real limitation is in the Plant Available Water (PAW). No matter how much one irrigates the soil or how much rainwater falls onto it, any water above the Field Capacity (FC) is wasted. We will review some technologies for stabilizing soil moisture, including methods that significantly boost the PAW without drowning the plant roots. We also review methods and technologies that make the best use of natural precipitation (stormwater) and the water that is otherwise wasted. Case studies across North America will be used to illustrate how these methods can significantly increase the survival rate of newly planted and transplanted trees and significantly reduce the cost of watering by 90% or more
