Natural Gestalt

We just had to stop the car, turn around, and go back. A flash of white had captured our attention as we were driving past a stand of oak and hickory trees. It turned out to be a beautiful stand of snow trilliums, in full bloom, covering a north-facing slope. This is a spring wildflower that is not common, and hence not well known. What a surprise to find so much of it along Hwy 116 just west of Roseville.

An early spring flower, it remains a mystery to most people because it is so small, so unusual, and blooms for such a short time. If you aren’t out wandering in the forest at just the right time, or stopping to photograph plants at just the right spot along a highway, you probably will never experience the splendidly secretive snow trillium.

There are many native plants that escape notice, and hence are neither known nor valued. The delicate twinleaf was a favorite plant of Thomas Jefferson, and was even named in his honor, “Jeffersonia diphylla.” It blooms for only a couple of days out of an entire year. If you aren’t in its specific location at the exact time, you will have to wait a full year for another fleeting chance to see it.

Most of us think of a forest as “trees.”And yet trees constitute somewhat less than three percent of the plants found in our local woods. It is very easy to focus on the obvious and miss the essence. Too often we literally can’t see the forest for the trees. This is why a walk in the spring woods can be so rewarding, and eye opening.

Sometimes what you don’t see is what really counts. According to the Tao Te Ching, we build a house with wood, but it is the space within that makes it livable. Likewise it is the space inside the cup… not the cup itself, which makes it useful.

To the avid hiker, or ecologist, or wood thrush, there is much more to the forest than simply trees. What is found beneath and among the trees makes up the essential quality of the woods. Trees cannot define the forest. A pine plantation, after all, is a crop, not a forest. The forest ecosystem is a vast reservoir of life, where trees are a minority (though crucial) part of the flora which functions as a foundation for countless species of insects, spiders, birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and so on.

The most significant aspects of the land organism have to do with synergy or natural gestalt. This is why we cannot value nature merely as resources, or commodity. Gestalt is a German term, defined as, “a configuration or pattern of elements so unified as a whole that it cannot be described merely as a sum of its parts.” You can’t comprehend human nature, for example, by dissecting a human cadaver, even if you could identify all the parts. The most significant aspects are not even considered. Words such as extrovert or introvert, or generous, or creative, or loving wouldn’t be evident. So too, it is not possible to comprehend nature simply by quantifying or labeling species, even if you could identify all of them. The synergistic aspect is what Aldo Leopold called the ‘land organism.’

While serving in the military, I was stationed with a guy who happened to be a logger from Idaho. His family took down only virgin timber. He was asked whether he saw any problem with cutting down trees that might be over a thousand years old, just for the wood. He was mystified why anyone would ask such a question. It’s just a tree. How easily we get lured into that ‘commodity’ mind set, and miss the forest.

This is a particular problem when people contemplate “harvesting” trees. The word, harvest, implies a crop, as if they had been planted and can then be cut down with impunity. Those who profit from wood too often have never heard of snow trilliums, orchids, or twinleaf, or a whole host of other species likely to be devastated by the removal of the canopy of trees, and hence are not aware of the losses. Tragically, the gain of board feet when a forest is leveled doesn’t begin to compensate for the ecological costs, particularly as old growth continues to disappear under the ax and the chainsaw, and the associated species become threatened or endangered. Over 95 percent of our old growth forests are gone.

The Tao Te Ching (pronounced “Dao De Jing”) is a beautifully written thought provoking book. It is attributed to a philosopher named Lao Tsu, and offers a prophetic look at the human condition. It is remarkably relevant to modern times. The Tao (the way) is a mysterious presence throughout the universe (reminds me of the “force” from the movie, “Star Wars”). For example from chapter 39:

“In harmony with the Tao,

the sky is clear and spacious,

the earth is solid and full,

all creatures flourish together,…

When man interferes with the Tao,

the sky becomes filthy,

the earth becomes depleted,

the equilibrium crumbles,

creatures become extinct.”

Lao Tsu wrote this some 2600 years ago!

There is a real and growing dilemma globally as the human population continues to burgeon toward 7 billion, now adding to the planet an additional billion mouths to feed each 12 years. This out of balance growth is unsustainable and has become damaging to the rest of Earth’s biota. Ever increasing demands for food, fuel, and living space continue to consume what natural areas remain. Most arable soil has already been put into production, the world’s fisheries are dwindling, fresh water is becoming less available, human generated carbon continues to corrupt the atmosphere, warming the planet at a greater rate than had been anticipated.

The ‘higher angels of our nature’ should demand that we show respect for our “elders.” How? The challenge is two fold: to stabilize the human population and to safeguard Earth’s genetic diversity. This sounds easy enough… ultimately it isn’t possible to do the latter without the former. One thing is certain, we need to take steps to protect the planet’s irreplaceable genetic treasure trove. Not necessarily because a certain species may contain cures for various diseases, or because something might one day be used as an edible crop, but rather because they simply exist.

Lao Tzu, in chapter 29 of the Tao Te Ching states:

The world is sacred.

It can’t be improved.

If you tamper with it, you’ll ruin it.

If you treat it like an object, you’ll lose it.

For population issues, the group formerly known as “Zero Population Growth,” is now called “Population Connection.” Their web site: http://www.zpg.org/

Their mission is:

“Overpopulation threatens the quality of life for people everywhere. Population Connection is the national grassroots population organization that educates young people and advocates progressive action to stabilize world population at a level that can be sustained by Earth’s resources.”

To learn more about local native plants and animals, check out Forest Park Nature Center in the Heights (686-3360). They offer numerous programs and tours, and host environmental group meetings including Audubon and Sierra Club. Want to make a difference? There are many environmental organizations you may wish to consider. Here’s a web site for a directory: http://www.webdirectory.com/