Hi Nick,

How eloquently expressed.  I was raised in the flat lands of NW Ohio where we enjoyed the trees that the pioneers thoughtfully left behind.

I learned to love the woods in early spring.  I too had a swing and played in the shade.  Raking and burning (ouch---yes we burned the leaves---hate to admit it) the leaves in the fall was a special sound and smell.

As a young adult I had my first real chance to hear "talking trees" when we camped in a pine forest of Michigan.  What a sound they made as the wind passed through.  As we fell asleep  in our tent the rustle of the pine tree branches were like a lulaby.