David G Smith's album, Witness Trees, is #1 of the Best of 2025 Top 200 on Both Folk and Alternative Folk Roots Music Report Charts!
Welcome to Our Growing Witness Trees Forest!
This tree, planted circa 1850, can be found at the intersection of two county roads in western Iowa, and became the album cover captured by Roger Feldhans. There are trees on this planet that are thousands of years old. That idea inspired the concept for the song "Witness Trees": what have these trees witnessed of human behavior throughout the ages. -David, Blue Grass, IA
The lonely grown oak with its ancient roots spreading far and wide. Its ancient DNA anchoring this beauty in the sunshine. She's stood the test of time. (This tree, in this setting, "is a snapshot of my self-acceptance") Penni Klein, Poet, WI
My witness tree is a pair of big old Cottonwoods that stand guardian over my place in the North Valley. Albuquerque, NM. They grow right on an irrigation ditch and are huge, hanging over the fence into my yard so I can touch the leaves. They remind me to dance more in the wind and not work so hard. Grace Albuquerque, NM
Here is a picture of a Dawn Redwood. I planted it as a seedling. It is now about 40’ tall. Dawn Redwoods are related to Giant Redwoods. They were long thought to be extinct until some scientists found a grove of them in China. Seeds were collected and brought out of China just before Mao took power and closed China to foreigners. -Tom, Twin Cities, MN
Cell Tower Tree! Can you hear me now! -Doug, Pueblo, CO
My husband planted this Maple tree several years before he passed away. He was able to see the leaves turn a beautiful color before he died. -Carlyn, Edgwood, IA
Eagles in tree across from our house acted as a sentry over us. They have moved on in the years since but they served as our reassuring witness tree in our first years here. -Pat, Cape Coral, FL
Wood & Fire: Hands Across The Horizon. James T. Eldridge, IA