This is the time of year when trees become noticeable.

Trees are within our view all year round but now many leaves are changing color and beginning to fall.

Trees that lose their leaves for part of the year are referred to as deciduous.

Other common types of trees are known as coniferous or evergreens. Evergreens that shed their needles in the fall are known as deciduous coniferous and include the dawn redwood, the tamarack or European larch and the bald-cypress.

There is an old adage about not being able to see the forest because of the trees, but maybe we are unable to see the trees because of the forest. Perhaps it is time to appreciate the individual tree.

There are many trees for us to observe, and as we study the complexity of trees, we realize maybe they are more like an encyclopedia than a poem. They do make for a lovely poem, but it takes a lot of study to truly understand their value.

Currently people are concerned about the removal of trees. Trees have been with us a long time and have served many purposes. Trees were used for cabins, homes, were burned to keep us warm and processed to make paper.

There is so much to learn about trees: they are huggable and climbable, therapeutic, they provide shade, retain moisture, act as sound barriers, offer habitat for a variety of wildlife and keep beavers busy.

Some trees bear eatable fruits and nuts, bark is used for spices, such as cinnamon, and some have medicinal properties. Pitch has been used as glue and the sap for chewing gum.

Last but not least, wine and other liquids have been preserved with bark of the cork tree.

Trees are familiar to us in many ways: streets are named for them, they appear on flags and we have tree houses, family trees and, of course, holiday trees.

The bristlecone pines are listed as the oldest trees, the tallest are the coast redwood, and the giant sequoias are the largest.

Trees are known to us in many other ways such as the novel, “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn,” or songs like “Don’t Sit Under The Apple Tree,” and “Tie a Yellow Ribbon Around the Old Oak Tree.”

It should be pointed out that trees grow differently because growth only occurs at the branch tips. That is why when, as a child, you pin a ribbon to the trunk of a tree and return years later, the ribbon will be at the same height.

This growth in circumference, which gives us the annual tree ring, can provide a wealth of historical information about what the tree has experienced during its lifetime, such as droughts and fires.

All of this demonstrates the importance of trees — tree canopies, urban forests and tree retention policies — among reasons why municipalities strive to be designated as a Tree City.

Sammamish resident Larry Crandall is a retired educator who currently serves on the city’s Planning Commission.