Did you know that mature trees feed younger ones, sending them nutrients in a way akin to breastfeeding?
Did you know that when an old tree is left to rot and decay on the forest floor, it becomes a powerful generator for new growth?
Did you know that decaying leaves break down in the water system and create nutrients for aquatic life, and that is why the areas where rivers meet the oceans are so full of sea life?
Did you realize that plants and trees stabilized the planet’s atmosphere and set the scene for life to evolve? (well, I’m sure it was a combination of things but trees paved the way for the air we breathe).
We need to start giving more fucks about trees. We need to plant more and cut down less. We need to go outside and pay attention, to get to know the trees in our area and educate ourselves on what they do in our ecosystems because cutting down trees should not be something we do so flippantly.
Below I’ve compiled a list of must-reads that really helped shed some light on the importance of trees (and the natural world in general):
“I want to remind you that the forest is far more than a source of timber. It is our collective medicine cabinet. It is our lungs. It is the regulatory system for our climate and our oceans. It is the mantle of our planet. It is the health and well-being of our children and grandchildren. It is our sacred home. It is our salvation.” (3)
“Trees don’t simply maintain the conditions necessary for hum and most animal life on earth; trees create those conditions through the community of forests. Trees paved the way for the human family.” (105)
To Speak for the Trees is one of my favorite books of the year. I swear it changed something in me.
“invasive plants…are actually just working on much larger times scales. In fact, if we relax our colonized ideas about purity, we can see how invasives often arrive on the scene in order to clean up pollution, regenerate degraded soil, and offer medicine for new diseases…Climate collapse will not be solved by techno-narcissism. patriarchy will not be cured with shame and guilt. Racism cannot be cut out of our brains with a sword. Neither can we escape the system by running to the forests…I think by studying the invasive species in our local ecologies we can learn about subversive revolutionary tactics…what if, before we began to fight, we rooted back into our earth-based pleasure?…when we look curiously at what the land is doing, rather than…trying to…clean it up.” (66-67).
I underlined almost half of this book. I kid you not, it’s that good.
What I found so powerful about Blackie’s book is the breakdown of the history of philosophy that has enabled us to throw away our reverence for nature. Following the train of thought throughout the ages that has brought us to this place in human history is an important step in understanding the predicaments we now find ourselves in. It’s harder to blindly adhere to an ideology once you’ve traced its origin.
“This cultural worship of reason and empiricism means that our educational systems and other societal institutions train us to express disbelief in anything that we can’t directly perceive with our five physical senses, and that’s how it’s come to happen that the world has been demystified, leeched of magic.” (26)
Below are a few articles I found that are worth a read:
https://raysweb.net/specialplaces/boreal-articles/oldgrowth.html
https://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2021/07/12/Speaking-For-The-Old-Growth/
https://open.alberta.ca/publications/1711129
It’s a short list, and I’m sure there are a bunch of other amazing books and articles that could go on this list, but this is a start. If you know a book or article that should be on this list; please comment or send me a message. Let’s start giving more fucks about the trees.
I am definitely going to be checking out some of these recommendations! The enchanted life is one in particular I have heard great things about. I am loving this series and your insight