"Each generation takes the earth as trustees. We ought to bequeath to posterity as many forests and orchards as we have exhausted and consumed"

This quote by Julius Sterling Morton is a call to action for the present generation to take obligation for the environment and to ensure that future generations have the exact same access to natural deposits that we do. Morton is highlighting the value of sustainability and preservation, and the need to protect and preserve the environment for future generations. He is recommending that we ought to not be taking more from the earth than we can return, and that we need to be leaving the earth in a better state than we found it. He is encouraging us to plant more trees and orchards, and to restore the forests and orchards that have been depleted. This quote serves as a tip that we are all responsible for the environment, and that we must take actions to make sure that future generations have access to the same resources that we do.