All photos © Martha Brettschneider/Damselwings Photography
Every once in a while, a seemingly incomprehensible array of life experiences come together to serve you in the moment. I’ve been experiencing such a moment since the election, with birch trees at the center of my processing.
Along with birch trees, other elements mixed into this magical alchemy include a forest scientist’s research that I encountered years ago, a recent visit to Prague to visit a Czech friend I’ve known for 30 years, and my mindful photography practice.
Birch Trees – Busting “Trash Tree” Assumptions
In her book Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest, Suzanne Simard describes her research that challenged the forest industry’s categorization of birches as “bad” weeds that competed with the growth of more “valuable” Douglas fir seedlings. I’ve also heard the term “trash trees” for less respected species.
Tackling this assumption in her doctoral research, Simard found that clearing birches from commercial Douglas fir forests – a standard practice at the time – actually led to more loss of fir seedlings than gains. She discovered that the two species share a variety of mycorrhizal fungi in their root systems. Rather than competing for resources, Simard explains, “Birch was cooperating in lockstep with fir.”
Birches’ stronger photosynthesis capacity evidently passed on surplus sugar to the firs, especially in low light when fir seedlings’ growth would be slow if left to their own devices. This was the first field experiment to show that different tree species were exchanging substances via their fungi connection.
Simard’s Research In Action In My Friend’s Forest in the Czech Republic
Fast forward to October 2024. My husband and I are in a fragrant forest about an hour outside of Prague. Our guides are my friend Jindra and the forester of her logging business, Pavel. Jindra is pointing out the different plots of trees, noting the species (oak, pine, spruce, and others), translating Pavel’s answers to our flood of questions.
Jindra and Pavel described their sophisticated forest management program, which consists of both hand-planted seedlings and natural reseeding. “When we shifted to this approach 20 years ago,” Jindra told us, “it was quite radical here.”
On average, they will plant 20,000 seedlings to supplement the natural reseeding. The trees will be harvested anywhere from 60 to 150 years from now. Like the generations of Jindra’s family who managed this forest before her, they are doing the work now to support future generations. They won’t be alive when this year’s seedlings are harvested.
“Do you see the birches over there?” Jindra asked. “I had to convince our foresters to leave them there after reading some research about the benefits they provide to the forest, even if we are not selling the wood.”
“Suzanne Simard?” I asked excitedly.
“Yes!” Jindra confirmed. “In Finding the Mother Tree.”
We did a little happy dance together, celebrating yet another shared influence in our lives. Jindra and I met over 30 years ago in graduate school, when she was doing her doctoral research on International Famine Coping and Prevention. While we were studying, the Iron Curtain fell, which eventually – after many years of legal battles – resulted in Jindra’s ancestral forestry lands being returned to her stewardship.
And now here we were, together in the forest I had been hearing about for decades, where I could see Suzanne Simard’s research on the “woodwide web” in action through my friend’s courageous leadership. So exciting!
Reframing Old Stories Through Mindful Photography
I had been looking forward to meeting Jindra’s forest for years, hoping to connect with the energy that I knew had been so healing and meaningful for her. My camera has become a powerful tool in my interactions with the natural world, an extension of not only my eyes, but also of my capacity to express Nature’s wisdom creatively.
Though I had brought my professional grade camera equipment along specifically for Jindra’s forest, I gave myself a couple of days before using it. Forest walks with my phone camera allowed me to familiarize myself with the land, noticing what drew my attention and my emotional responses to the experience.
It takes some time for me to identify what sparks a sense of meaning. I feel my feet on the ground and tune in to the sensory experience of my surroundings. Bird song, the feel of the breeze, the smell of the ever-composting forest floor. When the detritus of my thinking brain has settled, I drop in the question, “What speaks to me here?”
On my first forest walk with Jindra, the answer bubbled up as soon as she pointed out the birches that were now allowed to grow among the commercial trees.
Birches finally getting the respect they deserve! Finally being seen! Released from the label of “bad weed”! Old stories and outdated systems that don’t serve the higher good of the forest were beginning to crumble.
Letting Go of Our Unconscious Inner Stories
Jindra’s decision to follow the recommendations in Simard’s research (which has now been replicated many times over), defied traditional forestry beliefs. Instead, she chose to honor Nature’s wisdom. But her “old story” busting goes even deeper, as revealed in an offhand comment she made linking birches to the Communists.
When I asked for clarification, Jindra explained:
“The birch is known to be a Russian tree. The Communists who threw my family out of the country in 1948 were backed by Russia. Russia invaded Czechoslovakia in 1968, so most Czechs are allergic to things that are Russian. The Czechs joke that birches, like Russian aspirations, spread like wildfire. They are seen as very unpalatable trees. So we typically don’t like them in our forests, very much like Czechs don’t like Russians.”
Pretty heavy story to let go of, right? I was so impressed with Jindra’s capacity to recognize when a thought wasn’t serving her anymore, choosing instead a path that supported the health of the forest.
It brought me back to Suzanne Simard’s revelation:
“Somehow with my Latin squares and factorial designs, my isotopes and mass spectrometers and scintillation counters, and my training to consider only sharp lines of statistically significant differences, I have come full circle to stumble onto some of the indigenous ideals: Diversity matters. And everything in the universe is connected—between the forests and prairies, the land and the water, the sky and the soil, the spirits and the living, the people and other creatures.”
Birch Lessons for Post-Election Processing
- Nobody is a “trash tree,” even people who didn’t vote like I did.
- We are all connected in ways we will never fully see. We can choose to share positive energy to support the whole, diffusing the toxic energy that drowns out the good in our country.
- With enough presence and self-awareness, we can recognize when we are holding on to inner narratives that keep us in judgment and disconnected from our shared humanity.
- We need to maintain the long view – digging into the work today to support future generations.
- Everything is temporary. Systems that don’t serve the highest good eventually crumble. We have to keep tending the forest now, cultivating the soil for new growth, providing the sunlight needed for healing.
Though it can feel like so much is out of our control right now, we can do the most important work of all – building our own mental muscles to meet this moment with resilience, perspective, and a growth mindset.
If this call to action speaks to you, you might be a good fit for my next Mental Fitness 12-Week Training beginning in early December. I’d love to tell you more about it in a free discovery call. Schedule with me here.
And just a bit more about Jindra… She’s been a practicing Buddhist for over 25 years. Her mindfulness practice has cultivated her capacity for wise seeing and wise action. You can learn more about my fascinating friend at jindra.cekan.com.
My birch photos aren’t up yet on damselwingsphotography.com, but if you’d like to bring their energy into your living or work space, schedule a call with me here.
