Spirituality and Justice for Trees

The Bible is bookended with trees. In Genesis, the tree of life stands in for the Garden of Eden. In Revelation, the tree represents the restored New Jerusalem, a tree whose leaves “are for the healing of nations.”

The leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.

This is a passage of scripture that, though metaphor in Revelation, is literal today. In a time of climate breakdown, trees are some of our best allies. Old growth trees, in particular, provide all sorts of ecosystem services, building physical resilience in the midst of fires, flooding, and extreme heat. These trees pull carbon out of the atmosphere and store it in their bodies, they safeguard biodiversity and serve as sites of climate refugia, they reduce flood and erosion risk in the face of extreme weather. And, older trees are more resistant to fire that is wreaking havoc on younger trees around the world.

Beyond all these important physical traits, we can learn from the spiritual wisdom revealed through old and mature growth trees. As created beings reflect the image of their Creator, there is much that we can learn about God’s purposes for creation by being attentive to these trees.  

When we encounter an old growth tree, we notice the many twists and turns she has had to make as she moves around the many obstacles she has faced in her journey to the Light that sustains her and all beings.

Old-growth forests have learned important lessons that they share with us from the many challenges they have faced during their time on Earth – devastating storms, volcanos, dramatic changes in weather, and even meteors that destroyed much of life as we know it. Through these challenges, they have modeled resilience, adaptation, healing, collaboration, and renewal, and can therefore offer important lessons to us for how we might respond to the often overwhelming difficulties we face today. 

When we encounter an old growth tree, we notice the many twists and turns she has had to make as she moves around the many obstacles she has faced in her journey to the Light that sustains her and all beings. We are inspired and guided by her resilience and adaptation. We notice the galls on her trunk that have formed to heal the places where she has been wounded by infestation and disease. We see the knots on her - scars from the pruning she had to do of the  limbs that no longer serve her.  She changes course as necessary, accepting without fighting what she has to do to stay alive. We learn about the many ways she depends for survival on her fellow trees, sending signals and nutrition back and forth. She collaborates and cooperates, too, with many mammals, birds, organisms and fungi outside of our sight. We notice the way her thick roots dig deeply into the soil and know she is being supported by the soil and by the roots of many other trees. 

And we might find a mature tree that, after a full life, has fallen in the forest. As we survey her massive trunk, we notice the lichen, mosses, and young saplings that grow from it. We see where a pileated woodpecker has drilled a large hole in her broken bark in his search for insects. We might peel off the bark and see the termites, ants, roly-polys and others that find nourishment there. These nurse logs remind us that even after death, the mature tree continues to provide nutrients and shade and a place for the forest to renew itself. We find hope and comfort, and know that death never has the final word.

Unfortunately mature forests in the United States are under threat. Currently, there are few protections for old and mature growth forests on federal lands. These forests are frequently sold in timber sales, these giants becoming printer paper or framing wood for the next subdivision. Mature forests and trees need explicit protection. We have lost most of our old growth to over a century of logging. Mature forests provide the bulk of the climate benefits on federal forests and are the nation’s future old-growth. 

Conserving mature and old-growth forests on federal lands is a critical natural climate solution that will have a meaningful impact on the climate crisis and biodiversity crisis.

We need solutions that match the magnitude of the threats we face. Conserving mature and old-growth forests on federal lands is a critical natural climate solution that will have a meaningful impact on the climate crisis and biodiversity crisis. Protecting these elders also safeguards their considerable spiritual significance and the rich wisdom they offer for our times.

There is an opportunity right now to help protect these sacred trees.  The U.S. Forest Service recently released a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) on their plans to protect Old and Mature Growth Forests on USFS land. Unfortunately, the Statement fails to protect old-growth trees and forests. The proposal allows old-growth trees to be sent to the mill and allows agency staff to manage old-growth out of existence in pursuit of “proactive stewardship” goals. The draft also contains ambiguous language that could be used to justify continued commercial logging of old growth in the Tongass National Forest. 

We have the opportunity to pray with and protect our forestss by sending a message to the Forest Service and  weighing in on their plans. We can also visit active old-growth forests near us, and practice attentiveness to the ways that trees join with all of creation in revealing the wisdom of their Creator. Take a moment this week, go to the forest, and follow this invitation to listen to and learn from the wisdom of our old-growth forests:

Take a slow walk in a forest or park near your home and see if you can find the tree that appears to be the oldest there. Notice places where she has been wounded and has healed. See the many ways she has adapted to meet the challenges she has faced. Look for the knots that show the many times she has had to rid herself of branches that no longer serve her journey to the Light. Now sit with your back leaning against the old tree. Breathe with her as she provides you with oxygen at the same time absorbing the carbon dioxide from your breath. As you inhale, breathe in the many obstacles your tree has faced. Breathe out the healing she has had. Be with her. After several minutes of breathing with the mature tree, reflect on how she has adapted to her challenges and modeled resilience and whether she might offer guidance to you in the challenges you are facing individually, and we are facing communally.  

Some of the material in this article has been adapted with permission from Discovering the Spiritual Wisdom of Trees, the forthcoming book by Beth Norcross and Leah Rampy (Broadleaf Books, 2025)

Photo by Brandon Green on Unsplash