Give thanks for all that trees give us

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When we list the things we have to be thankful for — family, friends, home, traditions, community, hope, nature — let’s include trees.

“Trees give us so much,” said Spencer Campbell, Plant Clinic manager at The Morton Arboretum in Lisle.

Some of what they have to give is easy to see on a walk in the woods or through the neighborhood: The beauty of their blooms in spring, their serene green shade in summer, their lacy bare branches in winter.

Many of our holiday flavors are gifts of trees. Apples are obvious, but trees also give us cinnamon from tree bark; cloves from tree buds; nutmeg from tree fruits; and nuts, including walnuts, almonds and pecans.

And that’s only what we can see and taste. “Science has proven that there’s also a lot more