That same year, Mr. Merwin planted a sapling in the blight, then got up the next day and planted another one. His trees made soil, and the soil made more trees. He planted a tree every day on that land for years, until his friends took over the planting under his direction. The trees of the Merwin Conservancy are almost all palm trees: endemic, indigenous, introduced — and everything in between. There is a longstanding scientific debate as to whether palms qualify as trees, since their trunks are made of cork, which is technically not wood.

Source: New York Times March 19, 2019 11:32 UTC