Nexus - 0106 - New Times Magazine-pages

Page Content (OCR)

Guardians the Earth Trees: ‘lrees: Guardians of the Earth hat! hopeto showistheimmense | leaves and activate essential soil bacteriafor | mass is water), and then imaginethe water valueoftreestothebiosphere.We | thetreeto use for nutrient flow. Therainof | contained in soil humusandrootmaterial, the mustdeploretherapacity ofthose | insectfaeces maybe crucialtoforestand | forestsrepresentgreat lakes of actively-man- who, foranephemeral profitindollars,would | prairiehealth. Itisaclever person indeed who | agedandactivelyrecycled water. cuttrees for newsprint, packaging, and other | can separate the total body of the tree into Thus the soil becomes an impedimentto temporary uses. When wecut forests, wemust | mineral, plant, animal detritus and life. This | water movementand the free (interstitial) pay forthe end costin drought, waterloss, | separationisforsimplemindsasitstotalentity, | water can take as long as 1 to 40 years to nutrient lossand salted soils. Suchcostsarenot | likeours, reaches outintoall things. percolatethrough to streams. Italmost seems charged by uncaring or corrupted govern- asthough the purpose of the forests isto give ments and deforestation has therefore impov- How a Tree INTERACTS WiTH RAIN thesoil time and themeansto hold fresh water erished whole nations. onland. The process continues with acid rainasa On bare soils and thinly-spaced or culti- more modern problem, charged against the Whenrain fallsonaforest,acomplexprocess | vated crops, the impact of droplets carries cost ofelectricity or motor vehicles, withthe | begins. Firstthetreecanopy sheltersandnulli- | away soilandmanyrainstypically remove 30 inevitable account building up sothatnona- | fiestheimpactofraindrops, reducingtherain | tonsper acre, or up to 400 tons in extreme tioncanpay,intheend, forrehabilitation. The | toathinmist belowthecanopy even intorren- | downpours. When we barethesoil welosethe capitalist , communist and developing tial showers. earth. worlds will all be equally broughtdown by However, ifmorerain falls, water com- W wo EFFeEcts foresttoss. mencesto drift as mists or droplets to earth. Those barren political orreligiousideolo- | Thiswateriscalled throughfall. Vogel (1981) notes that as wind speed in- gies which fail to care for forests carry their Asanaverage figure, the throughfallis | creases,thetree sleavesandbranchesdeform own destruction as lethal seeds withintheir | 85% ofrainin humid climates.Atthis point, | sothatthetreesteadily reduces its exposedleaf fabric. : throughfallcontainsmanyplantcellsandnu- | area. Vogelalsonotesthatvery heavyand rigid Weshould not be deceived bythe propa- | trientsandisamuchricherbrewthanrainfall. | trees spread wide root mats, and may rely gandathat promises foreverytreecutdown, | Dissolvedsalts, organiccontent,dustandplant | totally ontheirweight, withstandingconsider- atreeplanted. The exchange ofaSOgram | exudatesareincludedinthethroughfali. The | ablewindforcewithno moreattachmentthan seedling fora forestgiantofS0-1,200tonnesis | random fall of rainisconverted into well- | thatnecessary to prevent slide, while other like the offer of amouseforanelephant.A | directed flowpatternsthatservetheneedsof | treesinsertgnarled rootsdeep in rock crevices young forestortreedoesn’tbehavelike the | growthintheforest.Inthestembasesofpalms, | andareliterallyanchoredtotheground. sameentity in age; itmay bemoreorlessfrost | plantainsand many ephiphytesor the flanged Theforest bends and sways, each species hardy, wind fast, salttolerant,droughtresis- | rootsoffigs,waterisheldasarielponds,often | withits ownamplitude. tantorshadetolerantatdifferentagesand | richinalgaeand mosquitoes. Stem mossesand Apart from the moisture, the wind may seasons, ephiphytes absorb manytimestheirbulkof | carry heavy loads ofice, dustor sand. Stand Icannever see the forest asan assemblage | water, andthetree itselfdirectswaterviain- | trees (palms, pines and casuarinas) havetough of plant and animal species, butratherasa | slopingbranchesand fissured barktoits tap | stemsorthick barkto withstand wind particle single body with differing cells, organsand | roots, with spiders catching theirshareon | blast. Eventussock grasses slow the windand functions. A forestisnotjustanumberoftrees. | websand fungi soakingup whatthey need. | causedustloadsto settle out. Inthe edges of A forest and itsanimalsisacomplexand | Sometreestrail weeping branchestodirect | forests and behind beaches, treelines may interdependentorganism. throughfall to their fibrous peripheral roots. accumulatea mound of driven particles just Atthe crown of the forest and within its within their canopy. The forest removes very canopy, thevastenergies of sunlight, wind and With the aerial reservoirs filled, the | fine dusts and industrial aerosols fromthe precipitation are being modified forlifeand | throughfallnowentersthe humuslayer ofthe | airstream within a few hundred metres. growth, Treesnotonly buildbutconservethe | forest, whichcan itself (like agreat blotter) Forests provide anutrientnet of materials soils, shielding them from the impactofrain- | absorb | centimetre of rain for every cen- | blownbywind, orgathered by birdsthat forage dropsand the wind and sun. timetre of depth. In undisturbed rainforest, | withinits edges. Migratingsalmon inriversdie Atthe crown, forceful raindropsarebro- | deepmosses may carpettheforestfloor.For | inthe headwaters after spawning and thou- ken up and scattered, often to mist, orcoa- | 40-60cmsdepth,thethroughfallisabsorbed | sands oftonsof fish remains are deposited by lesced into smal! bark-issued streamsandso | bythedecomposersandlivingsystemsofthe | birds and other predators in the forests sur- descend to earthrobbed ofthekineticenergy | humuslayer. Again, thecomposition ofthe | roundingthese rivers. In addition tothese that destroys the soil mantle outside forests. | waterchanges, pickinguphumicexudates,and- | nutrient sources, trees actively minethe base Further impedance takesplaceontheforest’s | water fromthedeep forestsandbogsmaytake | rock andsoil forminerals. floor, where roots, litter, logsandleavesredi- | onaclear golden colour, rather liketea. rect, slow down and poo! the water. Below the humus liesthetreeroots, each Like all living things, atree hasshedits | enclosedin fungal hyphaeandthegels secreted TREES & PRECIPITATION weight many times over to earthandair,and | bybacterialcolonies. 30-40% ofthetreeitself hasbuiltmuch ofthesoil itstandsin. Notonly | liesinthesoil; mostofthisextendsovermany Treeshave helped tocreate both our soilsand thecrown, butalsotherootsdieandshedtheir | acres, with thousands of kilometres ofroot | ouratmosphere. Thefirstby mechanical (root wastestoearth. Thelivingtreestandsinazone | hairsiyingmat-likeinthe upper 60cmofsoil | pressure)and chemical (humic acid) break- of decomposition, much ofittransferred, re- | (only 10-12% oftherootmassliesbelowthis | downofrock, adding life processesas humus born, transported, or reincarnated into | depthbuttheremainingrootspenetrateas | andmyriaddecomposers. grasses, bacteria, fungus, insect life,birdsand | muchas 40 metres intotherocks below). The Thesecond by gaseous exchange, estab- mammals. root mat actively absorbsthe solutionthat | lishingandmaintainingan oxygenated atrnos- The root fungi intercede with water, soil, | water has become, transporting itupthetree | phereandan active water-vapour cycleessen- and atmosphereto manufacturecell nutrients | againtotranspirete air. / tialto life. for the tree, while myriad insects carry out ifweimaginethe visible (above-ground) The composition of the atmosphere isthe summer pruning, decompose the surplus | forestaswater(andallbutaboutS-10%ofthis | resultofreactive processes, and forests may be 34 NEXUS New Times Six - Spri 1988 hat! hopeto showistheimmense | leaves and activate essential soil bacteriafor | mass is water), and then imaginethe water valueoftreestothebiosphere.We | thetreeto use for nutrient flow. Therainof | contained in soil humusandrootmaterial, the mustdeploretherapacity ofthose | insectfaeces maybe crucialtoforestand | forestsrepresentgreat lakes of actively-man- who, foranephemeral profitindollars,would | prairiehealth. Itisaclever person indeed who | agedandactivelyrecycled water. cuttrees for newsprint, packaging, and other | can separate the total body of the tree into Thus the soil becomes an impedimentto temporary uses. When wecut forests, wemust | mineral, plant, animal detritus and life. This | water movementand the free (interstitial) pay forthe end costin drought, waterloss, | separationisforsimplemindsasitstotalentity, | water can take as long as 1 to 40 years to nutrient lossand salted soils. Suchcostsarenot | likeours, reaches outintoall things. percolatethrough to streams. Italmost seems charged by uncaring or corrupted govern- asthough the purpose of the forests isto give ments and deforestation has therefore impov- How a Tree INTERACTS WiTH RAIN thesoil time and themeansto hold fresh water erished whole nations. onland. The process continues with acid rainasa On bare soils and thinly-spaced or culti- more modern problem, charged against the Wrhenrainfallsonaforest,acomplexprocess | vated crops, the impact of droplets carries cost ofelectricity or motor vehicles, withthe | begins. Firstthetreecanopy sheltersandnulli- | away soilandmanyrainstypically remove 30 inevitable account building up sothatnona- | fiestheimpactofraindrops, reducingtherain | tonsper acre, or up to 400 tons in extreme tioncanpay,intheend, forrehabilitation. The | toathin mistbelowthe canopy even intorren- | downpours. When we barethesoil welosethe capitalist , communist and developing tial showers. earth. worlds will all be equally broughtdown by However, ifmorerain falls, water com- W wo EFFeEcts foresttoss. mencesto drift as mists or droplets to earth. Those barren political orreligiousideolo- | Thiswateriscalled throughfall. Vogel (1 981) notes that as wind speed in- gies which fail to care for forests carry their Asanaverage figure, the throughfallis | creases,thetree sleavesandbranchesdeform own destruction as lethal seeds withintheir | 85% ofrainin humid climates.Atthis point, | sothatthetreesteadily reduces its exposedleaf fabric. throughfallcontainsmanyplantcellsandnu- | area. Vogelalsonotesthatvery heavyand rigid Weshould not be deceived bythe propa- | trientsandisamuchricherbrewthanrainfall. | trees spread wide root mats, and may rely gandathat promises foreverytreecutdown, | Dissolvedsalts, organiccontent,dustandplant | totally ontheirweight, withstandingconsider- atreeplanted. The exchange ofaSOgram | exudatesareincludedinthethroughfali. The | ablewindforcewithno moreattachmentthan seedling fora forestgiantofS0-1,200tonnesis | random fall of rainisconverted into well- | thatnecessary to prevent slide, while other like the offer of amouseforanelephant.A | directed flowpatternsthatservetheneedsof | treesinsertgnarled rootsdeep in rock crevices young forest ortreedoesn’tbehavelike the | growthintheforest.Inthestembasesofpalms, | andareliterallyanchoredtotheground. sameentity in age; itmay bemoreorlessfrost | plantainsand many ephiphytesor the flanged Theforest bends and sways, each species hardy, wind fast, salttolerant,droughtresis- | rootsoffigs,waterisheldasarielponds,often | withits ownamplitude. tantorshadetolerantatdifferentagesand | richinalgaeand mosquitoes. Stem mossesand Apart from the moisture, the wind may seasons, ephiphytes absorb manytimestheirbulkof | carry heavy loads ofice, dustor sand. Stand Ican never see the forest asan assemblage | water, andthetree itselfdirects water viain- | trees (palms, pines and casuarinas) havetough of plant and animal species, butratherasa | slopingbranchesand fissured barktoits tap | stemsorthick barkto withstand wind particle single body with differing cells, organsand | roots, with spiders catching theirshareon | blast. Eventussock grasses slow the windand functions. A forestisnotjustanumberoftrees. | websand fungi soakingup whatthey need. | causedustloadsto settle out. Inthe edges of A forest and itsanimalsisacomplexand | Sometreestrail weeping branchestodirect | forests and behind beaches, treelines may interdependentorganism. throughfall to their fibrous peripheral roots. accumulate a mound of driven particles just Atthe crown of the forest and within its within their canopy. The forest removes very canopy, thevastenergies of sunlight, wind and With the aerial reservoirs filled, the | fine dusts and industrial aerosols fromthe precipitation are being modified forlifeand | throughfallnowentersthe humuslayer ofthe | airstream within a few hundred metres. growth, Treesnotonly buildbutconservethe | forest, whichcan itself (like agreat blotter) Forests provide anutrientnet of materials soils, shielding them from the impactofrain- | absorb | centimetre of rain for every cen- | blownbywind, orgathered by birdsthat forage dropsand the wind and sun. timetre of depth. Inundisturbed rainforest, | withinits edges. Migratingsalmoninriversdie Atthe crown, forceful raindropsarebro- | deepmosses may carpettheforestfloor.For | inthe headwaters after spawning and thou- ken up and scattered, often to mist, orcoa- | 40-60cmsdepth,thethroughfallisabsorbed | sands oftonsof fish remains are deposited by lesced into smal! bark-issued streamsandso | bythedecomposersandlivingsystemsofthe | birds and other predators in the forests sur- descend to earthrobbed ofthekineticenergy | humuslayer. Again, thecomposition ofthe | roundingthese rivers. In addition tothese that destroys the soil mantle outside forests. | waterchanges, pickinguphumicexudates,and- | nutrient sources, trees actively minethe base Further impedancetakesplaceontheforest’s | water fromthedeep forestsandbogsmaytake | rock and soil forminerals. floor, where roots, litter, logsandleavesredi- | onaclear golden colour, rather liketea. rect, slow down and poo! the water. Belowthe humus liesthetree roots, each Like all living things, atree hasshedits | enclosedin fungal hyphaeandthegels secreted TREES & PRECIPITATION weight many times over to earthandair,and | bybacterial colonies. 30-40% of thetree itself hasbuilt much ofthesoil itstandsin.Notonly | liesinthesoil; mosto/thisextendsovermany Treeshave helped tocreate both our soilsand thecrown, butalsotherootsdieandshedtheir | acres, with thousands of kilometres ofroot | ouratmosphere. Thefirstby mechanical (root wastestoearth. Thelivingtreestandsinazone | hairsiyingmat-likeinthe upper 60cmofsoil | pressure)and chemical (humic acid) break- of decomposition, much ofittransferred, re- | (only 10-12% oftherootmassliesbelowthis | downofrock, adding life processesas humus born, transported, or reincarnated into | depthbuttheremainingrootspenetrateas | andmyriaddecomposers. grasses, bacteria, fungus, insect life,birdsand | muchas 40 metres intotherocks below). The Thesecond by gaseous exchange, estab- mammals. root mat actively absorbsthe solutionthat | lishingandmaintainingan oxygenated atrnos- The root fungi intercede with water, soil, | water has become, transporting itupthetree | phereandan active water-vapour cycleessen- and atmosphereto manufacturecell nutrients | againtotranspirete air. / tialto life. for the tree, while myriad insects carry out ifweimaginethe visible (above-ground) The composition of the atmosphere isthe summer pruning, decompose the surplus | forestaswater(andallbutaboutS-10%ofthis | resultofreactive processes, and forests may be 34 NEXUS New Times Six - Spring 1988 W woEFrFeEcts TREES & PRECIPITATION