The discovery of fire and inventions such as the wheel, paper, boats, many of our musical instruments, the airplane and all rubber products would have been impossible without trees. In many of the major religions of the world, trees represent spirits, gods, paradise, knowledge, fertility, strength and stability. Trees improve the quality of our lives. As children we climb them to hang swings or build forts. We retreat to the forest in search of solitude or adventure.
Trees attract insects, birds and mammals to an otherwise sterile suburbia or concrete city.
Landscaping with trees can increase the value of both residential and commercial property by as much as 20 percent. Every year, trees paint our autumn landscape in a blaze of fiery colors. We simply cannot imagine our world without them. April 14 National Arbor Day 1995 will be celebrated on April 28. Kathryn Reshetiloff is with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Chesapeake Bay Field Office in Annapolis.