By James Coufal
We reach underground to our saplings,
our children,
nursing them to be healthy and grow.
100+ years ago the land was cleared.
(yes, clearcut) most often for agriculture.
Farming failed and the land was abandoned.
Natures first largess was often dense fern cover or the
Raspberry rotation, preparing the ground for trees,
often with maple and ash. Today the stands are even-aged and even-
sized; look and see this is so. Patches that vary in the trees girth and height, many 3-5 inches in diameter and 25-30 feet tall.
Towering above these even-aged stands are Mother Trees,
the seed source for the new growth; trees left uncut
when the land was cleared. Thank you Mother trees, thank you mother earth.
Editor’s note: Jim Coufal of Cazenovia is a part-time philosopher and full-time observer of global trends. He can be reached at madnews@m3pmedia.com.