For about $20, airline passengers can have a tree planted by Wales-based Treeflights in hopes that it will absorb from the atmosphere an amount of carbon dioxide equivalent to their share spewed out during the flight.
The theory behind this green project is explained on the Treeflights’ Web site:
“When we travel in an airplane we use loads of aviation fuel. In a few hours we each burn up hundreds of liters of a nonrenewable resource that it took the earth (and the sun) millions of years to make. On top of this we are producing a lot of CO2 which we all know is the main culprit for global warming. There’s no way of avoiding it; flying is inherently environmentally destructive and we shouldn’t do any more of it than we have to.
“Planting a tree, on the other hand, is an ecologically constructive thing to do. Trees use the sun’s energy to absorb CO2, taking it out of the atmosphere (where it’s really harmful) and turning it into this wonderful, renewable material that we call wood. Trees encourage biodiversity and are also fantastic air purifiers.
“The only problem with trees is that they take ages to grow. You have to understand, when you order a Treeflight that this is not a quick fix and your flight will not suddenly become ‘carbon neutral.’ But the tree we plant for you will make a significant and positive difference, over time, to our atmosphere.”
Treeflights plants willow, oak, ash, wild cherry, beech, silver birch, alder and black poplar — all broadleaf species native to Wales. Plantings are carried out according to standard organic principles. If for any reason a tree does not thrive, Treeflights guarantees that they will replace it with a new sapling of the same variety.
For more information, visit www.treeflights.com.
— Brian Caldwell
The Texas Mesquite Arts Festival is held annually in Fredericksburg in October and in San Angelo in April.
That was the start of the Texas Mesquite Arts Festival, now held annually in Fredericksburg in October and in San Angelo in April. Ellison, chair of the San Angelo festival, said booths are open to TMA members at both festivals for $175 and that they go quick.
“These shows help bring awareness to people that mesquite is one of the most beautiful woods out there and can be utilized for more than just the barbeque,” said Stephanie Shangraw of Shangri-La Woodworks in Alto, N.M. She and her husband Scott are among the few fine furniture makers at the Mesquite shows.
“Mesquite can be quite a nuisance on Texas ranches, so we try to show them that instead of bulldozing them over and burning them, they can have beautiful furniture and other items made from them. Mesquite can be quite hard to work with, and if you have allergies to it like me, there are precautions to take. But when you see the end results, it’s worth it,” Shangraw said.
While mesquite is rich in color and very stable to work with, it’s considered exotic to some as it’s not readily available on the market.
“If you were buying mesquite, it would be almost impossible to specify that you wanted flat-sawn mesquite of a certain length or a certain width. The grain is going to be very varied, and it actually requires that we violate some of the rules of fine woodworking,” Ellison said.
Typically, flaws such as checks and character lines are accentuated by being filled with marine epoxy dyed black.
“And that tends to be opposite what most woodworkers do. We try to show the flaw, incorporate it into our work, and most woodworkers are going to avoid the flaw,” said Ellison.
At last year’s Fredericksburg festival, about 65 TMA members exhibited and around 12,000 attendees turned out. About 40 woodworking artisans are expected to exhibit in San Angelo this year, which Ellison says tends to be more of a regional draw.
“The entire staff of the TMA are just good, hard-working people who listen and take care of the members’ every need. Because of this strong base, the
The mesquite furniture of festival exhibitor Jim Brewer of Dale, Texas.
TMA will be around for many decades to come,” said exhibitor Jim Brewer of Dale, Texas.
Contact: Texas Mesquite Association, 703 N. Llano St., Fredericksburg, TX 78624. Tel: 830-997-8515.
www.texasmesquiteassn.org
— Jennifer Hicks
60 Grit
Rough humor by Steve Spiro
Cherry trees get their start in the Treeflights’ nursery.
The Texas Mesquite Association was formed in Fredericksburg in 1992 after a group of local artisans and millers gathered in the back of a pick-up truck to show off their work. Members from the growing group are dedicated to making furniture out of the southwestern wood species, and know there’s strength in numbers.
“They discovered that passers-by had an enormous interest in what they were doing and the next year they rented space and began to grow,” said member Roger Ellison.
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