July 01, 2005 - 7:27 a.m.

in china, trees seem to be given more attention and help during the awkward stages of their growth.

for instance, it is common to see both young and middle-aged trees with metal supports holding up their branches. ropes are also used frequently.

american trees, on the other hand, are left on their own to grow. this promotes independent growth in trees, but on the flip side, branches that grow wildly in inappropriate directions are chopped off.

i am happy to be an american tree but wouldn't mind living in china for awhile.