HILDEGARD - How come that during the flood (Noah) the trees were not destroyed? The dove came back with an olive branch

JOEL - In regards to the flood (Gen. 8), we have to have faith that God was in control of it all. There are many things about the flood that are scientifically and logicaly hard to accept; which requires us to have faith that somehow God made things happen as they are explained in the Bible. Your question about the trees is only one of many that one might ask. For example:

How did Noah collect and fit all those animals in the ark?
How did just a few people feed and water and clean up after so many animals?
How could they store enough food for all those animals for 5 months?
How could the entire earth be coverd with water just from raining for forty days?
Why can't scientists find any clear evidence of the flood in the earth?

One might speculate that the flood water was not salty enough to kill the trees for the few months they were under water. But the bottom line is that we have to acccept on faith that everything associated with the flood was a miracle performed by God to bring about his purpose. And, as part of that miracle, when the waters began to recede, there were still live olive trees on the top of some mountain from which the dove could retrieve the leaf.
The following scriptures come to mind:

"For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God." (1 Cor.2:11)
"For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my aways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts." (Isa. 55: 9)

LDS Apostle Boyd K. Packer once said:
"When confronted by evidence in the rocks below, rely on the witness of the heavens above." (BYU Book of Mormon symposium, 1988)