Did you know that trees undergo many adjustments from sunset to sunrise – even falling asleep during the hours of darkness?

I just learned more about this last night when I read an article from The Guardian titled: 'What do trees do at night'? It is a really interesting read.

Ben Howard - Old Pine

We stood
Steady as the stars in the woods
So happy-hearted
And the warmth rang true inside these bones
As the old pine fell we sang
Just to bless the morning

It is no mistake that I moved to a province with abundant forest.

I've always lived surrounded by forests and feel most at home that way. We are thrilled to own a large parcel of land, mostly forest that we can nurture and protect.

There is a deep dark secret in our province that I didn't know about when we bought our home here. First impressions show a place of lush abundant forest. It looks wild, untamed and perfect. Hidden from people outside of the province is quite a shocking tale.

It turns out that the Acadian forest is one of the most threatened forest types in North America. Some reports say that only 1% of the original forest remains. Industry continues to clearcut and douse crown land with herbicides to kill the diversity of a natural forest. You'll find plantations of soft wood and few animals in these monoculture plantations spread across the province.

Not only is a natural forest essential for wildlife habitat and food, we rely on it as well. People use public land to gather food, hunt, fish, pick berries and mushrooms and to spend time in nature. Forests provide shelter, clean air and empower us with the ability to survive and become resilient in uncertain times.

How can we do that when the land is being stripped of it's natural diversity, when powerful herbicides are being sprayed on the food we need to eat?

Is The Forest Really Yours?

If you want to explore a experiment in social awareness raising and how united voices can shake things up for a big corporate bully - check this website out.

http://www.isourforestreallyours.ca/en/welcome/

It is incredible and truly admirable work. Secrets being uncovered, truth being told, experts and professionals becoming less fearful and silent about what they know. The big industry controls the media in our province but the tides are turning on them. There are voices that want to be heard and collectively they are strong.

New Brunswick’s land base, which has never been ceded by the Wolastoqiyik, Mi’kmaq and Passamoquoddy peoples, is carved out as 50 per cent public land (also known as Crown land), 30 per cent private land and 20 per cent freehold. The New Brunswick government is tasked with managing the public forest in a way that benefits all New Brunswickers.

Considering they have failed miserably at this task, I think it is time that we all start to take the forests out of the hands of government and corporations and focus on regenerating and nurturing what remains. source

I highly recommended watching these videos because they are an experiment in social awareness raising. This is powerful stuff and demonstrated that ordinary people that care can stand together and tell a story to the world.

http://www.isourforestreallyours.ca

My heart is filled with sorrow and fear for the future, things have to change and if not soon, there will be a point when it is too late, and all is lost. When your feet crunch on the forest ground, breathe it all in. When your fingers touch the bark of the tree, appreciate the magnificence of it all.

When darkness falls and you tuck yourself into bed and the trees fall into slumber around you, ask yourself this: who will be the guardians of our forest if not you?

The Paper Kites - Willow Tree March

---

[@walkerland ]
Building a greener, more beautiful world one seed at a time.
Homesteading | Gardening | Frugal Living | Preserving Food| From Scratch
Cooking|

You can also find me at: walkerland.ca |
Facebook

Photo copyright: @walkerland