The oldest tree in the world is a bristlecone pine (Pinus longaeva) growing in the White Mountains, California. This venerable tree is 5,065 years old ! It was born almost 500 years before the construction of the Great Pyramid of Giza, which dates back from 2,560 BC. Its trunk twisted by the wind, cold and drought – the temperature is around –25 °C in winter and it falls as little as 300 mm of rain each year in this region – and its many dead branches are reminiscent to the harsh climate it has endured over the centuries (intro photo: Rick Goldwaser).

During the last months, I’ve seen many mature trees being cut down in the town where I live. And I'm not the only one to attend this chainsaw massacre because there are more than 4 million urban trees cut down each year in North America. This phenomenon not only saddens me but it makes me downright angry because in many cases the death of these trees could be avoided with simple precautions. Here is a plea for an end to the massacre of our urban forests, because without trees we could not exist!