It must be Spring! Now that the sun is warming up the ground, trees will soon be full of buds and blossoms. Maples will be seen with pails hanging as the sap is collected and turned into maple syrup and sugar. All those bare-looking trees will soon be fully functional once again. Fully-loaded logging trucks will again be seen on the highways.
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| Charcoal ovens used in 1876 |
Nowadays, steel and concrete are the predominant materials used to construct tall buildings and long-span bridges, but wood is still used as a major material in houses, smaller buildings, for decorative purposes and furniture. It is also a raw material for pulp-based products such as paper. Although wood is, in many cases, replaced by stronger and lighter materials, it is still in great demand. Earlier day pioneers used trees for their cabins and wood was essential for winter survival.Later the iron industry began in forested areas since trees were necessary to create charcoal, the fuel used in ovens for steel smelting. This created a large demand for cut trees. At this time, the loss of trees has created environmental problems.
Ikea, which made global profits of £2.7billion last year, is believed to use around one per cent of the world's wood supply.
Scandinavian giant Ikea has had a forestry stewardship certificate suspended after it was revealed the furniture chain has been cutting 600-year-old trees from protected woodlands.
The Forest Stewardship Council, which promotes the responsible management of the world's woodlands, says the wood Ikea cuts from forests in Karelia, Russia isn't being harvested sustainably.
"Swedwood", the Swedish firm's forestry subsidiary, has been refused certification by the international not for-profit organisation for its Karelia operation until action is taken.
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A majority of these forest-cutting rules have already been corrected as an Ikea spokesperson has stated:
'We take our responsibility for the forests and the people who work there very seriously and we appreciate that correcting the deviations will improve the way we manage the forest in Karelia".
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Trees have been in the news since the beginning of time. Adam and Eve were warned not to have anything to do with a tree. When they didn’t listen, they got into a lot of trouble
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This tradition of sacred trees in Scandinavia goes back to the pre-Christian Viking Age. However, younger Scandinavians are no longer aware of this tradition and in another generation, many of these beliefs and the trees themselves may disappear.
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Yggdrasil is The Scandinavian World Tree
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| Yggdrasil (EEG-draw-sill) |
The myth goes on:
Icelandic historian, poet, and politician Snorri Sturluson, who wrote the prose "Edda": around the year 1200, wrote about this mystical tree.This
was his story:
“In the middle of Asgard where the gods lives, is Yggdrasil, the tree of life. This eternal green ash tree has branches stretching out over all of the nine worlds extending up and above the heavens.At the very top of Yggdrasil, there lives an eagle and down by the roots of the tree lives a dragon named Nidhug. The eagle and the dragon are bitter enemies and they truly despise each other. A squirrel named Ratatosk is spending a lot of time each day, running up and down the tree. Ratatosk does whatever he can to keep the hatred between the eagle and Nidhug alive.”
(Squirrels never change!)
The Scandinavian mountainous terrain is often surrounded by deep valleys and it is only in these valleys that any trees are found. From these main valley systems, there are numerous side valleys. These side valleys are virtually the only area for forests that have provided building materials and fuel for centuries. Around 600m altitude, these forests give way to the mountain birchwoods which grow up to 800m. Scandinavian forests do not contain a wealth of species. The reason for this is the northerly location, plus the fact that after the glacial period, the sea forced most of the species to cease reproduction in Scandinavia, except for Denmark.
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Here, in the USA, we are accustomed to large forests, however much of the virgin trees have been removed. Only in selected areas has “tree-history” been so important that “Old Trees” are now protected.How old is “old”?
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| The famous Sequoia Washington |
a popular tourist attraction. Research of 2002 has shown that its age is about 2,850 (+/- 300) years. Another Sequoia named Methuselah has been dated to be 4,845 yrs-old!
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However, these trees are youngsters compared to a Swedish tree. The world's oldest recorded tree is a 9,550 year-old spruce in the Dalarna province of Sweden. Spruce trees have proved to be a tenacious survivor that has endured by growing between other trees and smaller bushes, keeping pace with the dramatic climate changes over time. |
| A 9,550 year-old spruce in the Dalarna province of Sweden |
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While the demand for wood continues in our present time, we should feel fortunate for reforestration practises. However, our industrial pollution and climactic changes will more than likely add further stress to our atmosphere. We have marvelled at photos of the historic " trees of our pioneer days." Their future?..
Hopefully, we will
continue to nourish our woodlands for our coming generations.
continue to nourish our woodlands for our coming generations.
