Sweet auger and a tree metaphor

Last Saturday I participated in a tree planting sponsored by the Casey Trees Endowment Fund. While it was nice to participate in enriching a neighborhood and learn about what goes into planting a tree, the best part was certainly the auger used to start the holes, shown here. That was off limits, so the fun with toys was limited to the stake driver, though it was fun for only the first stake, of three used to support the tree in case of strong winds. My friend who invited me to the tree planting expressed her concern that people were securing the ropes to the trees too tightly, as if the tree would fall without the tension pulling from three directions (an equilateral triangle). Apparently, she told me, there are studies showing that trees that grow that way develop weak and shallow root systems compared to those given only the support they need. “Sort of like welfare,” I had to say. Seriously, though, it is quite like “overprotecting” childen or “helping” people to the extent of dependence.