As a Tree City USA, the Town of Rochester celebrated its fourth Arbor Day and its new “Growth Award” by planting five young dogwood trees at Hillside Cemetery.
Donning a raincoat and umbrella, the Town’s representative to the Arbor Day Foundation, Rochester resident Matt Monteiro, presented the town with its five new trees and told the assembled why he chose dogwoods for this year’s Arbor Day celebration.
“These five dogwoods were just planted in the spirit of Arbor Day by our town’s tree warden, Jeff Eldridge, as a living acknowledgement of the value of trees,” said Monteiro, “not only for material and environmental reasons, but also for the emotional peace and beauty that they provide.”
Monteiro found it fitting, he said, that the dogwoods should be planted at the Hillside Cemetery because of the tree species’ particular symbolism and history.
“Trees, even specific trees, may mean different things to different people,” said Monteiro. “To those visiting friends and relatives buried here, or even to those walking through this serene place, I hope to offer some perspectives to consider.”
Trees, said Monteiro, remind us of the connection between heaven and Earth with their roots deep in the soil and their branches and leaves reaching high towards the sun.
“To some, trees can be a visible reminder of that connection,” Monteiro said.
Trees are also a symbol of ancestry, said Monteiro, saying, “As people visit the graves of loved ones, often they may be thinking of their own ancestry … their own family tree.”
But trees also symbolize uniqueness, Monteiro said, pointing to the way saplings look very similar until they mature, are altered by the environment over time, and develop a character all their own through their endurance.
“Their similarity in contrast to their uniqueness can remind us of how we are all the same, but also different,” said Monteiro.
Trees can be symbols of renewal as well, he said. “They are long-lived, strong, and beautiful, but they too must eventually die,” said Monteiro. “But even so, their seeds fall, sprout, and begin anew. A large tree with some of its ‘children’ seedlings nearby can remind us of the cycle of renewal. Similarly, a deciduous tree itself appears to ‘die’ each year in autumn, and in spring to be reborn with a dramatic burst of color in the forms of green leaves, and for some species, a variety of colors for their flowers.”
But as for the dogwood in particular, Monteiro talked briefly about its early American history as a native species to North America, saying the name evolved from “whipple tree” into “dog tree.”
“Some suggest that the tree was called the dogwood because when the wind blows and the branches knock together it sounds like a dog barking,” said Monteiro. “Also, to treat skin conditions like mange in dogs, people boiled the wood in water and then washed their dogs with that infusion.”
And when dogwoods were covered with blooms, they signaled that it was time to plant corn, Monteiro added. But the most famous legend comes from the one that claims Jesus’ cross was made of dogwood, which grew in the Jerusalem area during that period, “And it is entirely possible that this wood was used,” he said.
“The legend of the tree continues that because it was used as part of the cross, God cursed the dogwood to be short and twisted so that it could never again be used in such a way,” said Monteiro. The legend of the dogwood tree might also have to do with its flowers, Monteiro said. “Typically, the blossoms have two long petals and two short petals, forming the shape of the sign of the cross.”
“Whatever symbolism you may find in the dogwood, and in trees more generally,” said Monteiro, “it is easy to find beauty, serenity, and indeed meaning, while reflecting on life in a place such as this.”
Rochester was given the “Growth Award” in recognition of the Town’s higher level of tree care after earning ten points this year through innovative projects and an increased commitment to caring for trees.
By Jean Perry