Ashley Cecil

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7″ x 9″ watercolor, $70 ($10 donated to the National Arbor Day Foundation)

See all paintings available for sale.

I’m sorry to tell you that this post has not at all turned out as I expected, but noteworthy nonetheless. On Saturday I had planned to witness approximately 2,000 volunteers plant 20,000 trees at Will Clayton Parkway here in Houston in observance of Arbor Day. I was disappointed to find that A) pouring rain clouds decided to hover over the area during the scheduled time and kept me inside, and B) Arbor Day is in April! The Houston parks department explain that “while Arbor Day is celebrated in northern regions in April, the climate of Houston is better suited to planting trees during our fairly balmy winter. Saturday, January 27, has been set aside as our local observance of Arbor Day.” Hey, if the parks department is willing to coordinate 20,000 trees to be planted, they can call any day Arbor Day they like!

Ironically, the rain subsided shortly after lunchtime, precisely when the event was scheduled to end! Then the sun promptly showed its late face and a big blue Texas sky mocked the soaked volunteer tree-planters. Ok, so I chickened-out and stayed indoors. Although I decided to honor the parks department’s efforts by painting these young locally notorious “live Oaks” planted behind a mall parking lot in a sprawling urban area. As petite as these trees seem juxtaposed next to the massive retail space, their presence stills plays a vital part in the environment’s well-being. On that note, here is some food for thought:

• “The net cooling effect of a young, healthy tree is equivalent to ten room-size air conditioners operating 20 hours a day.”—U.S. Department of Agriculture

• “One acre of forest absorbs six tons of carbon dioxide and puts out four tons of oxygen. This is enough to meet the annual needs of 18 people.”—U.S. Department of Agriculture

• “Trees properly placed around buildings can reduce air conditioning needs by 30 percent and can save 20 – 50 percent in energy used for heating.”—USDA Forest Service

7\" x 9\" watercolor, $70 ($10 donated to the National Arbor Day Foundation) See all paintings available for sale. I\'m sorry to tell you that this post has not at all turned out as I expected, but noteworthy nonetheless. On Saturday I ...