The American Poet and soldier Joyce Kilmer in his beautiful Poem, Trees, wrote “Poems are made by fools like me, but only God can make a tree!”
While much of that sentiment is true, man in his foolish ways destroys many our trees be they fruit or ornamentals that were planted for their beauty, shade, decoration, as boundary markers or for other useful purposes.
One of the many varieties of Ficus was planted unintentionally by a bird or by an animal or with intended design by man. That tree has been growing at the entrance to Stonefort Estate for a very long time. Sad to say that tree no longer exists as it has been hewn down ready to be carted away as garbage. What a sad day!... and what a waste for tree that gave so much to the people of Challengers Village, Stonefort Estate and all and sundry who enjoyed sitting and spending time beneath its spreading branches. A burning shame to see a beautiful tree.. a magnificent tree… that troubled no one and grew in that one spot for years, cut down within hours leaving only a short section of trunk as a mean testament to the its former existence.
During the long era of the sugar industry this tree offered rest and respite from the scorching sun to workers on the Estate while others who lived in the Estate Yard relaxed in conversations with family and friends. It was the meeting place for storytelling and where orders for the day’s work were issued to the men and women that toiled daily in the sugarcane fields.
This was a tree that suffered the rage and might of a Hurricane. It was unceremoniously thrown on its side with roots exposed to the elements; cast down but it still retained enough roots to continue creating new leaves, roots and branches - saying to the world of man that it was down, but not out and that its place in this world would not be thwarted by the forces of nature.
One had to look carefully to observe that this was not a tree that was standing upright as it lay horizontally yet, it continued to produce spreading branches outward and upward - a well-conceived illusion.
There was a time when one was not permitted to destroy a tree without the go-ahead from the Agricultural Department so this occurrence begs the question… Was such an authorization sought? And for what purpose was such a tree removed after serving the general public for such a considerably long time? During the years of the tree`s growth, no one ever complained of its interference with either vehicular traffic or that of man or that of its neighbour; it lived quite comfortably with a beautiful red Flamboyant Tree much younger than itself - one lent the comfort of shade to humans; food and a playground for the birds; while the other displayed its profusion of flowers for all to appreciate and enjoy.
Of the several Ficus trees that are found growing on our twin island Federation of St Kitts and Nevis one of the more popular Ficus trees is the one known as the Ficus Benjamina that can be found on a number of the old sugar plantations where they gave shade to the slaves, and as an ornamental, a thing of beauty to the property. One of the largest ’Ficuses’, that was partly destroyed by Hurricane Hugo, can be found on an Old Estate above what today is Mansion Estate, its outstretched branches are estimated to have covered two acres. It is interesting to note the largest known Ficus in the world is found in India from which those found in the Western World were subsequently propagated. Most of us are familiar with its famous relative the Banyan Tree that is noted for its huge Cathedral like buttresses.
Can anyone who knows Romney Manor Estate or what is now known as Caribelle Batik ever consider going there and finding that the largest Saman Tree on the island of St Kitts was cut down or even blown away by a hurricane? What an outcry such a dastardly act would bring? Certainly there would be hell to pay should such a thing take place.
These trees are our heritage! They gave shelter to our forefathers who slaved in the heat of the blazing sun and found comfort in the conversations they would have entertained. Such trees, for the sake of our heritage should be preserved for generations that are yet unborn.
In the village of Verchilds, three huge Sandbox Trees were killed by poison injected into their trunks while not too far away in the area known as Green Tree Project, the Evergreen Tree, another type of Ficus from which the project derived its name, was destroyed in the fifties by an eager and inconsiderate estate manager who was only interested in profit and who overlooked the fact that it gave shelter from rain and the heat of the day to travellers. The travelers would have included school children and villagers, commuting between Middle Island and the town of Old Road.
Alas! These have all gone… their stories will never be heard or told, but it is a sad tale for a generation now here who would never know nor would they believe that such trees existed along our island main road. How many more trees of heritage and history will be destroyed or dare I say ‘preserved’ for our future generations.
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