Christmas Tree Poem, "Ecology of the Living Tree"

By the late Norbert Noecker, a Christmas Tree Grower

Ecology of the Living Tree

Behold the magic of the living tree:
It purifies the air and gives abundant health
to you and me.
It traps the raindrops from the sky
To keep our springs from going dry.
It holds the soil in place to keep our rivers clean,
And gives the birds a home to rear their young serene.
It makes the children gay on every Christmas Day.
A never ending crop, as one is cut another takes its place.
For all the good that's done - its energy the sun.
Conserving oil postpones the day when that resource is gone
And when it dies and nature breaks its body down,
It does not die for naught but gives its substance to another plant
To feed its growth and to complete the cycle of the elements.