Dictionary MAIN PAGE Text & Grap

Renewable Resource - The myth that trees are a natural renewable resource still persists. Much like the “never ending forest” just keep cutting out the wood and everything will be the same or even better than it was - myth.

Myths from 100 TREE MYTHS by Dr. Alex L. Shigo www.shigoandtrees.com

Myth 2. TREES ARE A NATURAL RENEWABLE RESOURCE. KEEP CUTTING. THEY WILL GROW BACK JUST AS THEY WERE. Yes, some trees in forests should be cut for the needs of people. But, better management schemes are needed to ensure a continuing supply of high quality trees and to ensure that all connected members of the natural systems continue to survive in a high quality state.

Myth 4. FORESTS ARE GROUPS OF TREES. Forests are highly ordered connections of many living communities with trees. The connections ensure survival of the trees and their associates.

Below is from page 383 MODERN ARBORICULTURE by Dr. Alex L. Shigo www.shigoandtrees.com

The danger, as I see it, is that our insults and assaults are coming faster than the survival system can adjust or adapt.

This is especially true where individual trees are concerned. And, in forests where the tree associates have been greatly weakened or destroyed by our "management" schemes-roads, roads, roads! They are not forests. They are small parcels of tree crops laced with roads. And we wonder why our trees have problems! Once the survival processes are stalled or destroyed, any pathogen, weak or strong, will attack. Why? We are slowly but surely destroying defense processes of individual trees and groups of trees in forests.

So, what can we do? First, let's use some of our "intelligence" to learn how "their" intelligence works. I believe the real issue here is whether we as humans really have the intelligence to survive in the environment we have created! We have become the great environmental pathogen.

Let's give natural systems a chance to change and adjust. Let's take some time to learn how they work and how we can work with them. Let's give them some respect. Let's drive out greed!

Not an easy task. No easy answers to put into practice.

But, if we do not start soon, we are going to find ourselves, not the trees, falling off the table!!