The Overstory

by Richard Powers

We’re cashing in a billion years of planetary savings bonds and blowing it on assorted bling.

No one sees trees. We see fruit, we see nuts, we see wood, we see shade. We see ornaments

pretty fall foliage. Obstacles blocking the road or wrecking the ski slope. Dark, threatening places that must be cleared. We see branches about to crush our roof. We see a cash crop. But trees—trees are invisible.

when you cut down a tree, what you make from it should be at least as miraculous as what you cut down.”