Dendrology

For some time now I have had a deep interest in trees and dendrology (the scientific study of trees). Here I will document some of my findings on trees - mostly on the classification and identification of trees I come across, and I’ll also mention some interesting and unique facts that I have learned.

If you were to ask me why I care about trees so much, I’d give any number of answers, but the following would be my current best answer:

Trees play an indispensable role in maintaining a balanced and thriving environment and ecosystem on Earth. Therefore their importance should not be neglected, and we should never forget that trees are not only important to life on Earth, but an essential prerequisite to the existence of other life on Earth.

There is always a delicate balancing act that nature plays to support and maintain life, and trees are one of the primary organisms maintaining that balance. Removing even a single tree undoubtedly affects this balance, and would not just cause death to the life of the tree, but it would also affect a large number of other creatures as well, such as insects, birds, mammals, and even humans.

They work to remove carbon from the atmosphere, moderating the climate, and they produce significant amounts of oxygen, which provides highly favorable conditions for life.

A tree’s uses are endless, and we are still researching what trees can do, and how they do it. They provide food, fuel, timber, medicine, oxygen, and heat for humans; they provide a home for countless animals, fungi, insects, and other organisms; they clean the air, they provide natural fragrances, aromas, and essential oils; they serve as the backbone for entire ecosystems and prevent desertification; they are also simply very nice to look at.

It’s hard to imagine what other natural resource is more important to Earth’s ecosystem than a tree, other than water itself.

Lastly, trees are a part of us. Without them, we would not know life as we know it. We would not have sailed across oceans, built innumerable homes, found certain cures to sickness and disease, and most importantly, we might not be living.

I’m sure someone out there might be thinking, “well, how do you reconcile justifying violinmaking as a worthy pursuit, knowing the importance of trees, and knowing that trees must be felled to make violins?”

And all I’d say to that, is that I will be pondering this question for years to come. There is no doubt that the industrial nature of the violinmaking industry is harmful to the environment, with millions of primarily low-quality, low-cost violins having been made over the years, necessitating that the commensurate amount of trees be cut down. Like any other industry, the violinmaking one is ultimately profit-driven, often at the expense of the environment.

Yet, in the same breath, millions of kids (and adults) through the years have experienced the joy of both creating music and listening to music from wooden instruments. This I would say makes it all worth it. The beauty of music often transcends, in a sense, beauty itself.

But those violinmakers out there who practice violinmaking as their primary profession are not creating violins on an industrial scale, but rather they’re creating usable tools and works of art for professional or serious players. The amount of resources being used at this level pales in comparison to the industrial side of lutherie. I’d imagine that a single maker would only need wood from a couple of large, mature trees to sustain a lifetime worth of violinmaking.

In the end, if we can collectively learn to use our God-given resources in a responsible and sustainable way, if we can learn to appreciate the essentiality of trees, if we can choose to find a path that is prosperous that doesn’t come at the expense of others or nature, if we can learn to live in balance with the Earth, then we will be well on our way to finally achieving a beautifully joyful future - and present.