07/29/2007

Northern People

A love-ly tradition keeps growing

Tradition of 'marriage trees' is back

By JOLYNN PAIGE

Special to the Record-Eagle

Terry Stanton loves trees.

The Leelanau Peninsula man loves their shape; he loves the sound of the leaves; he loves the way that roots take shape at their base; and he loves the way that their trunks twist and contort to form their own unique "faces.”

He sees the planting of trees as a way to do something tangible about global warming, which is why he is touting the idea that couples reinstitute an old custom of planting trees on their wedding day in order to honor their marriage.

"Trees act as a kind of sponge to clean up the toxins in our environment. They breathe and filter out many of the poisons that are causing global warming,” said the environmentalist, with a look of clarity and confidence in his eye.

His own family tree in northern Michigan reaches back several generations, with three sets of great-grandparents who settled in Copemish, Northport and Solon.

"My relatives talked to me several times about the tradition of the marriage tree,” he said. "I was told that when someone got married around here, often two trees would be planted on the family's property — one for the bride and one for the groom. A house would then be built near the trees.”

Stanton said some of those trees — now over 150 years old — are still standing today. He knows where they are, and can readily point them out as he drives around the rolling countryside of Leelanau County.

"The Leelanau couples getting married here might want to re-start this tradition,” he said. "It would help symbolize their commitment to each other, and it would help the environment at the same time.”

It is his guess that many brides and grooms get married on or around their family property in northern Michigan, which makes it a perfect place to plant the trees.

"I think it would be great if people planted trees on their own family property, just like what was done in the old days. They could even decide to plant in places like Conservancy land. The more we can get people excited about the idea of planting trees to honor a special event in their life, the better for our world,” said Stanton.

Now retired, Stanton, who lives near Lake Leelanau with his wife, Donna, is a member of a group called the Leland Township Champion Tree Association. Recently, the group worked together to help save a 200-year-old cottonwood tree in Leland that was scheduled to be cut down.

The Leland group is part of a larger group called Champion Tree Project International out of Copemish, whose mission involves cloning and distributing several species of what are known as champion trees. These trees are considered champions because of their age and their size. It is also part of the group's mission to educate the public on the benefits of planting trees.

David Milarch, president of Champion Tree Project International, a non-profit group dedicated to preserving America's tree heritage, said the Leelanau Peninsula has more champion trees than any other county in the U.S.

He strongly believes that the entire species is threatened by global warming, and that one of the best ways to offset the threat is by planting more.

"We need the trees,” Milarch said. "They can help get us out of the mess we're in.”