Missing the Trees

November 6, 2005

Guest article written by Clare Nunamaker, California Registered Professional Forester

When a friend asked the other day what I miss about California, my immediate answer was "The trees." Living here in southern Scotland, the trees that you do find are in patches. They tend to be even-aged, single-species plantations of Scots pine or spruce. The stands are usually harvested at a very young age, so there's not enough time for a diverse understory or much structural diversity to develop.

The overall landscape looks very disjunct. Forest stands are small, and they are planted with straight edges that suddenly transition to open pastureland.

Whether you're looking at the forest or the trees, the landscape looks heavily impacted by humans. And so it is. The forests were cut long ago for agriculture, grazing and shipbuilding. These days there are efforts to reforest the country, and they are making a difference. Still, there are vast stretches of hillsides that are barren except for low-lying species like mosses and grass, ferns, broom, and gorse. Even in relatively remote areas, the barren hillsides are a reminder of the presence and impact of humans. There's not a lot here that feels truly wild.

Remembering California's forests, they seem incredibly wild, diverse, and productive. The sustainable management that can be and is being practiced by California's progressive foresters demonstrates how forests can be carefully managed for human benefit while safeguarding, and in the face of fire exclusion even improving, the long-term health and biodiversity of the ecosystem.

Looking over the landscape here, one can only wonder what it would look like today if the forests of Scotland had been managed sustainably over the last 500 years. Now, I'd never wish California's Forest Practice Rules on anyone. But I certainly do wish for Scotland, and elsewhere, forests as diverse and productive as those maintained by the sustainable practices of California's progressive foresters.

Clare Nunamaker is a California Registered Professional Forester and member of NorCal SAF and the Forest Guild, who after receiving a composer's visa for the UK, has moved to Scotland. Go to http://www.HeartwoodMusic.com for more information.