MEN OF THE TREES

Evening Post, Volume CXXI, Issue 4, 6 January 1936, Page 6

MEN OF THE TREES

POUNDER'S LECTURE

GROWING WORLD MOVEMENT,

(From "The Post's'- Representative.) LONDON, December 7.

The Men of the Trees pledge themselves to work for a wider recognition of the supreme beauty of trees and woodlands, which they proclaim as * beneficent influence upon human life. The society has celebrated its tenth year of existence, but it is only recently it has been obtaining the publicity it deserves. Perhaps this is owing to the presence in England of the founder, Mr. Richard St. Barbe Baker, who started the movement among the tribesmen of Kenya, in order to save their land from the deterioration and barrenness which was resulting from the thoughtless destruction of forests.

Mr. Baker, who was lecturing in London this week, is a forestry expert who has also recognised the mystic power of the trees. He told his audience, with apologies, that at the age of nine he made a friend of a sympathetic beech tree. He took all his troubles to this tree and everything was cleared up. He confessed himself an enthusiast who rode his hobby at the risk of boring his friends. He found on the sixth occasion these friends took notice and began to share his enthusiasm. Mr. Baker spoke of his success in America in saving the redwood trees, the longest-living trees on earth. His little sister had sent him ten shillings to begin his campaign. He spoke to a millionaire, who went to see the marvellous redwood groves of North California, and he subscribed half a million dollars to help to save tha groves. Since then they had collected 9| million dollars, and large tracts of these ancient trees were saved for all time. Mr. Baiter said there was a clearing of 70 acres in the midst of one of I the forests where they intended to make a permanent camp for tree lovers. From time to time they would stage plays, in the clearing.

AFFORESTATION OF SLAG HEATS,

In the course of his lecture, Mr. Baker reminded his audience that, a hundred years ago there was a campaign to prevent Surrey from becoming a bleak and treeless area. Today it was one of the most beautiful counties in England and heavily -wooded. This was what he emphasised in. the North of England where a movement was in progress to transform the slag s>s into things of beau y. Black and dirty though the country is the people who have been bf/n there love it and they have sought the help of the Men of the Trees people are adopting slag heaps, and for the sum ol £50 it is possible to afforest an average dump and provide a good deal of work for those who are sick of doing nothing. Mr Baker's illustrated lecture was based on a book he is publishing this month on English trees. There are to be only a thousand copies, and they will be taken up by subscription, some 250 being already bespoken. Judging from the very beautiful lantern slides exhibited,— duplicate pictures to those appearing in the book—it should be a very'desirable volume. Mr. Baker has travelled all over England and has photographed all the historic trees and forests of Great Britain. One of England's old oak trees is 29ft fn girth, and another picture shows 67 people at arm's length, covering only hall the circumference of the spreading branches of a famous tree. It is estimated that during the war we cut down four-fifths of our forests, and at the present rate of replanting it will take us 140 years to plant these three million idle acres. Heavy death duties have also been responsible for destroying forests. Trees are sold to pay the duties, and it is estimated that three deaths quickly following one another of the owners of a wooded estate will entirely denude the property of timber. The Men of the Trees are out to stop this method ol paying death duties. LIVING CHRISTMAS TREES. Recently an enthusiastic tree lover ordered 50 tons of walnuts and 50 tons of acorns. These have been planted in nurseries, and in due course they should produce five to ten million walnut trees and twenty million of the old oak of England.

Mr. Baker made an appeal for living Christmas trees. In these days of open-air life he suggests that peopla should arrange their Christmas toys on a tree in their gardens and invite the public to come in, or at least give them the joy of seeing it. It was not right, he said, to sacrifice thousands of young trees, and he suggested that people should grow their own larches from seed so that they could have their own living Christmas tree from year to year.