Showing posts with label development in the CRD. Show all posts
Showing posts with label development in the CRD. Show all posts

Thursday, April 9, 2020

Why trees are no longer considered sacred

Oak in Saanich

Maybe it's because we no longer let them grow old enough.

"The survival of giant oaks which had lasted generations probably lies behind why certain trees became sacred. Oak was a tree which probably started as a recognisable way-marker in the forest and a communal meeting place because they were so massive and old, and became well known over time, respected for their longevity …" -- from Tree2mydoor.com

Maybe this explains why oaks and other trees are no longer given any respect, let alone considered sacred -- they are never allowed to live long enough to become venerable. Even a huge thick-trunked specimen can be removed if a builder wants to take over its living space -- all they have to do is have it declared "unsafe", or showing signs of "disease".

What old trees show signs of are long life, the many winters and summers of harsh weather they endured, the many birds and animals who made use of them, the epiphytes that depend on them all leaving their marks. Like we acquire scars and stiff joints, trees acquire signs of "disease", yet we don't euthanize humans for being old. Instead of killing trees which show signs of a long interesting life, we should venerate them ("consider them worthy of deep respect").

Once landscape is cleared for subdivisions (or worse, for dense multi-use building), a few new trees may be planted on the margins, but will they ever be allowed to grow old? Will they even survive a youth of water-restriction policies? Or the next wave of development? We don't let trees get old enough to attain any level of sanctity. 

Ancient sacred groves were power spaces, which is why in England invading armies (Roman) and religions (the Church) sometimes cut them down. We worship the god of "economic growth" (as finite a thing as ever there was) and our landscape is drained not only of life but of sacredness and the numinous. Cities are sterile, and children grow up in them with nature deficit disorder which is also a form of spiritual-deficiency -- life is drained of (w)holiness because we no longer respect nature and trees -- and the younger they are the less we respect them.

But as Robert Bateman has said, "nature is still magic". So could we re-enchant the CRD? (It would mean setting aside more space for tree-scape, into a future far outliving all of us humans living here today. Plan for Nature.)