What a delight to behold a hemlock tree
In its predetermined cycles,
Undisturbed by human greed.
And the mind goes back to first settler
Who built a home
And removed some just like this one.
And burnt them for fuel.
How fortunate is this one
Surviving four hundred years
In the soil fueled in turn
By fallen decomposing neighbors,
In the unending cycles of life.
The pity is that I'm beholding
One of the last preserved stands in the state,
Before the advent of the timber industry.
Maybe, here we have an example of what happens when things go right,
when tree biology 
determines
the life cycles of the associated individuals. When there is no cutting
of trees or removing of nurse logs. Wouldn't it make more sense to study
the healthy state of the system in order to perpetuate it, rather than
try to make sense out of the problems.
Like humans, trees should use discretion in choosing the company
they keep. Hardwoods don't do well in conifer soil, e.g. in this forest
beech does not thrive.
Poem by M.K.
12/96
John A. Keslick Jr.
Tree Biologist
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Text & Graphics Copyright © 1997 Keslick & Son Modern Arboriculture