Tree roots grow down and out. Right? They certainly do grow downward to anchor the tree and spread out to gather nutrients. But recently I discovered that roots also grow upward.

The first clue was along the road where I walk. The road has been raised above the land around it. To the west it is swampy. To the east it falls steeply toward the bay. But along the shoulder, a couple strong roots have been laid bare. A tree sent a root up to that spot.

In the forest, there is a place where the path is a tangle of roots, some a couple centimeters in diameter, one five centimeters. These break the surface of the ground, and I wonder which of the trees around me they belong to. These have grown up as well as away from their trees.

Lately, I have found thick tangles of small roots above the natural ground level. The first I found was in the two raised beds that I built my first summer here. They did not produce well this year even though I watered them daily in the drought. When I went to dig them up, I discovered that the dirt was held together with a mat of tiny roots. No wonder my veggies didn't thrive. The trees around were taking the water and nourishment away. They had sent roots up into the rich soil I added to gain what they needed. And my watering drew them.

I had already built two more raised beds in a very different part of the yard so these two beds will be repurposed with things that naturally grow in the forest here--strawberries and currants. I hope they do better.

Another place where roots grew upwards is a large area lined with stones where previous owners composted leaves and garden scraps. This fall, I decided to dig up some of the soil before adding more leaves. The well composted soil here was also a mat of small roots. In this spot, the trees were searching out nutrients rather than water, but again they had grown upward fifteen centimeters from the trees whose bases are much lower. I dug up the soil anyway and hope the roots rot away in the pots I put the earth in before I need to plant them next spring. Then, I added leaves I raked off the lawn. Maybe if I don't wait too long, I'll gain some great composted soil before the trees take all the good stuff.

I'm not really complaining. I love the fact that a band of the woods to the north of our house was left undisturbed by the people who built here. I'm happy the trees are well fed; glad I gave them water. I just have to learn how to grow food along with the trees.

Across the road, where a new house went in, the trees have not been as fortunate. A narrow strip of trees was left by the road, but the rest were cut down and hauled away. It was hard to watch and listen to the forest being chewed up. And the area is swampy. As soon as the driveway went in and water pooled at the side, a cedar tree fell. Its strong root system had kept it healthy until the clay got so saturated that it lost its structure. There was nothing for the roots to hold on to. More recently, again because the land is so wet, and because of the strong winds we've had, a tall alder lost its grip on the ground and is now leaning against its neighbour, roots half out of the ground.

There are other trees in this area that are not going to be removed. A maple next door has grown around a rock, seems to be rooted in rock. At the edge of the escarpment, cedar roots run across the stone and then down into the earth. Rock and tree are one.

Most of the time, tree roots are not visible. When we do see them, it's because the tree has been uprooted. But then sometimes they surprise us.

Cathy Hird lives on the traditional territory of the Saugeen Ojibway