FAITH: The forests tell a story

My wife, Darlene, and I speak often about the people and the books that have guided our thinking and changed our lives. Near the top of Darlene’s list is Jane Claire Dirks-Edmunds and her book “Not Just Trees.” Darlene knew her as a very bright and talented biology professor at Linfield College. Dr. Dirks-Edmonds’ was a product of Linfield from the late 20s and early 30s.

As a part of a Linfield College biology class, Jane visited Saddleback Mountain. It was a pristine old-growth forest. She loved what she saw and thus began her life-long relationship with Saddleback. She earned her PhD in botany and returned to Linfield to teach. She involved students and fellow professors in the study of her mountain. Her studies covered 60 years. No small plot of ground had ever been studied so intensely. Probably no small plot of ground will ever be studied and reported on in the same way.

Darlene was one of those students who became involved in the Saddleback Mountain adventure. Along with other students she learned that Saddleback Mountain was the home of much more than the Douglas firs, the hemlocks and the cedars that the casual viewer saw.

The forest was inhabited by creatures large and small. The forest was full of slugs, worms, spiders and bugs of endless variety. Birds, butterflies, lichens and mosses were all there, sharing the same forest as their ancient home.

Darlene learned some life lessons. The Saddleback mountain forest was very stable. It had endured through many centuries. Yet it was changing constantly because of the continuous interaction between all of those living things that found their home in this Western Oregon wonderland. Stability and constant change are partners.

Under the tutelage of Dr. Dirks-Edmonds, Darlene came to a life conclusion. Stability comes from diversity. Can such a conclusion be transferred to the phenomenon of human beings? Darlene came to a firm affirmation. Yes, it can!

The first life lesson from the forest is that every functioning part of the forest is playing a vital role. The tiniest bug and the giant Douglas fir had an important interaction. The role of a tiny bug that is being played may not be visible to the casual onlooker. A closer look shows that the forest is a very complex organism in which the smallest insect has a vital role to play. Darlene’s conclusion (and others involved in the study) is that the same is true of human beings and their interactions. My life today included a stop at the post office, a cup of coffee at a local restaurant, a visit to a family physician, the feeding of our dog, a phone call from a family member, and a conversation with a friend about the health of an organization beloved by both of us. This is a very partial list of my day’s activities. Each involved person in each activity is a part of a vital life function of some kind that impacts the lives of others. The level of interdependence is staggering. The more carefully we look, the complexity becomes more impressive and undeniable.

When Dr. Dirks-Edmonds retired from teaching, she decided it was time to tell her story of Saddleback Mountain. From her copious notes and a keen memory she wrote the story, visiting her mountain to maintain her love affair with the ancient forest. A new student at Linfield became interested in Dr. Dirks-Edmonds work and asked her to escort him on a visit to the research site. She was not prepared to see what she saw. In very recent days, the entire site had been clear cut. The devastation was unbelievable. Gone were the Douglas firs, the hemlocks and the cedars. So also was the thick tundra that had blanketed the floor of the mountain. Smashed were the plethora of bugs, insects, moss and shrubs. Giant machines had devastated the feeding grounds of very old trees.

Later a representative of the owners of the property told the good professor of their plans to replant the site in Douglas firs only. The days of monoculture had begun. Probably in the coming decades the casual observer will look at the crop of Douglas firs and admire its beauty. However, the new crop of Douglas firs is already scheduled for harvesting.

In the meantime, what will have happened to the diverse supporting structures of nature that made possible the splendid product of nature that was called Saddleback Mountain? We will never know. If it is true that stability and diversity are partners, unending chaos will rule the future.

Is there a lesson to be learned and applied to the world of human beings? I have thought about the greatness of America as a nation. I suspect at the heart of our great nation is its diversity. Our nation has been fed by a continuous flow of immigrants.

The building of a wall is the social and political equivalent of clear cutting Saddleback Mountain. President Trump and other political leaders need to make close friends of the dreamers. Monocultures die from within. Diversity and strength are partners. It is the lesson of the forests.

The End

The Rev. Howard Bess is a retired American Baptist minister, who lives in Palmer, Alaska. His email address is hdbss@mtaonline.net.