Growth is slow

Take the idea of Arbor Day as an example.  For over a hundred years communities have planted trees for future benefits.  In a decade or so the labor of planting a tree yields tangible shade at least.  All over America, but especially in the Midwest, there are vastly more trees now than there were in the late 1800s.  Little by little and year after year the labor is invested and the benefits accrue. The number of forest trees stabilized and has been increasing over the last 100 years. But uncounted millions of trees have been added in the form of woodlots, windbreaks, and suburban plantings -- these don't seem to be as documented as timber forests.

Doing something because it is the right thing to do and because it will produce future benefits is an act of mature and reasonable people. Deferred gratification and all that.

I take it as a sign of hope in our presently destruction-oriented world that the First Lady of the United States has announced an initiative to improve the White House Rose Garden. Good for Melania. Good for America.

“The very act of planting a garden involves hard work and hope in the possibility of a bright future,” said Mrs. Trump, who adds the garden project to a list of other White House renovations, including refurbishing the Red and Blue Rooms and building a tennis pavilion on the South Lawn.
“Preserving the history and beauty of the White House and its grounds is a testament to our nation’s commitment to the care of this landscape and our dedication to American ideals, safeguarding them for our children and their children for generations to come,” she said. [KLOVE, Press Release, Additional link to Official Rose Garden Report]