Change body shape according to survival environment
‘Tree language’ that is visible as much as you know
◇How to Read a Tree/Written by Tristan Gully/Translated by Lee Chung/412 pages/19,800 won/Bada Publishing
Animals cannot cut off limbs that they do not use, or grow new joints or tendons. This is why animals of the same species have similar structures, even if the details are different, but trees of the same lineage have different structures. This is because they either ‘self-prune’, cutting off useless branches, or when they feel that long and large branches do not have enough strength to support them, they create a kind of new joint to provide support.
The unique traces left by trees like this leave many clues, from the direction of the wind to the east, west, south, north, and surrounding environment. The author, an explorer who has led expeditions on five continents for decades and a natural navigation expert who finds directions using clues from nature, aka “Sherlock Holmes of nature,” has compiled various messages that can be read from such traces.
First, it is good to look at the roots of a tree to read the direction the wind is blowing. This is because the roots on the windward side grow bigger and stronger than those on the other side. Also, the trunk tends to become thinner in the direction the wind is blowing. Trees that have evolved to grow well in the shade have thin bark, while trees exposed to sunlight have thick bark. The size decreases as they are exposed to strong winds or cold. Anyone who has seen trees become smaller as the altitude increases while climbing a high mountain will sympathize.
Also, when a tree is stressed by disease or a harsh environment, it will grow many small branches from one place. When a new tree or building shades the surrounding area, it will cut off useless branches that can no longer photosynthesize. This phenomenon, called ‘natural fall’, leaves buds on the tree. It is also characteristic that these buds are found in large numbers in the south where there is sunlight.
What is the use of reading trees? The author compares the reason he reads trees to crossword puzzles. He says that the human brain feels more curious when each square is filled in rather than when all the squares are empty. When looking at trees, the author suggests that we go out into the forest with signals that “the more we know what to look for, the more we wonder and look for it” and “there are things that we can never find even after looking at them a thousand times, but once we find them, we will never miss them again.”
Reporter Kim Min [email protected]
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2024-08-31 13:17:09