The geography in Holbrook is known primarily as open lands and Tamarisk bushes, with the most common reference to trees indicating petrified ones. But one local man is making it his life’s work to help change that.
Rick Taylor has lived in Holbrook since the 1970s. As a transplant from Missouri, the high dessert environment was a big change from the lush green land of his hometown. So he planted a tree. Then another. Over the years Taylor has kept planting trees until his five acres of land off McLaws Road has become a small forest, filled with hundreds of Eldarica and Austrian pines, cypress, ash and almond trees, and many others.
When Taylor began planting trees he hadn’t anticipated it would become the endeavor that it has. It began as the cones from his first trees fell to the ground and seedlings began to grow. He decided he would try his hand at growing the seedlings himself.
“At first I tried prying the seeds from the cone, which was very difficult. I learned quick that this wasn’t something I wanted to do on a regular basis,” explained Taylor. What he discovered was that if he left the cones in a bucket, the seeds would eventually fall out on their own. “I just dump the bucket out once a week and collect the seeds, then put the cones back in the bucket.”
His first efforts involved trial and error, with many of the tender seedlings unable to survive, but over the years he has had a great deal of success. “It’s a continuous campaign and you have to be patient, because it’ll take 10 to 20 years before you see real growth,” he said.
By carefully considering each location for planting, Taylor is able to ensure that they will have a chance to grow to their greatest potential, something that allowing the seeds to grow where they fall doesn’t ensure.
“After some of the trees grew I realized that the pines don’t do well next to deciduous trees. The constant brushing of the branches against the pines just wears them down and kills them. They need their own space,” he explained.
What first began as a desire to add beauty, shade and color to his property has now expanded to a desire to help people who may want to do the same. “I don’t see why everyone couldn’t grow trees like these on their property. Can you imagine what a difference it would make if more people did this?” he asked.
For the moment, Taylor’s efforts are expanding to his son’s property adjacent to his own as he grows a 100 or more trees in his greenhouse, but he’s hoping his efforts won’t go unnoticed as more and more trees are planted.
Taylor plants the seeds or saplings that he gets permission to extract from property owners in simple potting soil, then carefully cares for them until they are about a foot high and able to be transplanted, careful not to expose the roots of the saplings.
“The most important thing is a good watering system. A drip line and a timer will ensure they get a water supply, but you have to keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn’t get clogged or you’ll lose the trees,” he said.
For Taylor, it’s an effort that reaps rewards not only for the grower, but also for generations to come. “You have to know that you’re going to stay where you are for a long time to see the results. If an agency or a city like Holbrook wanted to do this, Holbrook could be covered in trees,” he predicted.
A walk on the carpet of pine needles on Taylor’s property as the flaming orange leaves of ash trees sway overhead is enough to convince most high desert dwellers seeking a change of scenery to begin gathering cones and consider planting trees of their own…an idea, Taylor believes, whose time has come.
