Arbor Day this year comes to the news that the Trump administration is seeking to fast-track the resource exploitation of public lands, as reported by The New York Times, The Hill and others — although as of this writing, the Associated Press has not yet picked up the story.

Notably, this reporting is also saying that the Endangered Species Act is being disregarded while President Trump’s energy emergency declaration is in effect.

The subject of energy vs. environment is complicated and emotionally charged for many people. Environmentalists strongly believe in preserving our natural resources, while business interests and politicians tend to align around exploiting our resources — an untapped resource may as well not exist, after all, in the world of business.

It doesn’t help anything that the subject is so broad, as well. There are a host of different factors involved for every site, every type of resource development and every species in question. No two situations are the same, in this arena.

Ultimately, while we are far from opposed to energy independence and the development of industry — and the jobs that come with both — we trend more towards the environmentalist side and believe that, as a general statement, we should be striving to safeguard our planet and its resources, that they may be ethically developed for our descendants.

That’s the conclusion. If that’s all you came for, feel free to turn the page in admiration or disgust. But there is value in the discussion, so let’s break down how we get there:

— We need to be forward-thinking, as a community, nation and species. Our lexicon is replete with idioms about how Rome wasn’t built in a day and so forth, but in our modern society, we do a poor job of embodying it. We consume and exploit to our hearts’ content, but we risk leaving a worse world for our children and their children.

— That, explicitly, does not mean that we should not be developing or utilizing our resources. It is important to the growth and sustainability of our species that we continue logging, mining, and otherwise producing the raw goods that are necessary for our society to continue to exist…and to exist at an affordable price-point, under our society’s economic model.

— However, as per the Bible itself, we are to be the stewards of this world. That means that, while we are to utilize the Earth, we also need to care for it and for the creatures we inhabit the planet with. We should not be picking and choosing what species are allowed to survive and which are allowed to perish. Oh, this species of flower happens to only live in a spot in Nevada where we want to mine lithium? That we culturally have come to view that flower as an acceptable loss is vile and tragic. We should not play God.

— If you want to be more scientifically-minded about it, consider the long-running concern that with each species we render extinct, we risk losing untold cures for the diseases which plague us, as well as depleting opportunities for us to advance our knowledge of the cosmos.

Thus, as ostensibly the highest form of life on this planet, it is our duty and responsibility as a species to shepherd the world around us — the land upon which we move and breathe for but a brief waking dream. The ground beneath our feet has been there for longer than we can imagine, and ownership of it passes in the blink of God’s eye.

We also find it shameful that our Republican-led government is taking these steps, as Republicans and their generally conservative ideals have historically lent well to conservation efforts: Republicans like Ulysses Grant and Theodore Roosevelt created and expanded our park system, while, more recently, Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan also contributed environmental initiatives and public land expansions — though they disagreed on the Environmental Protection Agency, which Nixon created and Reagan sought to weaken.

But now, business interests are in control of our government, for better or worse. One could readily argue that they have been for years — at least since Citizens United in 2010 — but, regardless, people routinely state in the comments of our Facebook page that everything should be run like a business, including things such as healthcare, the post office and other various government programs and agencies.

Being run like a business means efficiency, allegedly — although plenty of businesses employ people to sit around and check their email all day or waste time in pointless meetings. Being business-like also implies exploitation, development and the ability to stand on one’s own feet.

Some of those are admirable, when not taken to excess. However, the pillaging of our public lands represents to these business interests a treasure chest sitting now unlocked and ripe for the taking. They can’t help it. It’s the nature of the game: see an opportunity, take the opportunity, repeat.

So, what can we do?

Arbor Day holds a clue.

We ran a story in yesterday’s edition of The Express about oak trees and how they’re an excellent option to plant for Arbor Day.

Some readers may be rolling their eyes. Ah yes, it’s Arbor Day, so plant a tree.

Consider, though, the amount of time that a strong shade tree takes to grow. Hardwoods like oaks can take decades to throw appreciable shade.

We mentioned idioms earlier in this editorial. We will now mention another: the best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second best time is today.

Or, if you prefer, in a week, when the annual Clinton County Conservation District tree sale is held, with a wide variety of useful and native trees — including apple trees — for sale.

If you are environmentally-focused, it can be hard to cope with the impending looting of public lands.

If you are business-focused, the wisest course of action following a dividend is to make the next investment.

In either case, the best thing to do is to plant more trees, and ensure the continuation of shade, habitat and lumber resources for generations to come.