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Remember that story, The Giving Tree? Man, that was some preachy story. But maybe that obtusely moralizing story was right about a few things. If you kill an obsequious, ingratiating tree that has probable self-esteem issues, then it won't be around to flatter you or let you turn its body into a canoe anymore. That will teach you!
If I was that tree, I'd be all like, "Hey, kid. Go inside and play Nintendo or I'll shake free a wasp's nest."
In any case, the truth behind the story actually extends to our actual trees that we actually use to build canoes and houses. Take the rainforest or the ancient forests of British Columbia for example. Some of those areas are becoming rapidly deforested. A lot of the trees that live in those environments are slow-growth trees. When you cut down a slow-growth tree, it's not going to grow back any time soon. It usually takes a generation or so for it to reach a height usable for lumber. Many people still harvest these trees although they are not rapidly renewable.
The way we can get people to stop harvesting slow-growth trees is to stop buying slow-growth wood. The easiest way to tell what trees are slow-growth and which trees are young-growth is by the coloration of the wood. A lighter color usually means slow growth, and a darker color suggests rapid growth. I'm sure there are exceptions to this rule, but this rule can be used in a pinch.
Rapidly renewable young-growth hardwood is a much better choice, environmentwise. These trees grow ridiculously fast in tree terms and are harvested commercially in nurseries. Tree nurseries are good because they help keep untouched reserves of forest untouched.
Some of the more popular young-growth trees are poplar hybrids, redwood, Paulownia, hemlock, Douglas-fir and eucalyptus trees.
The next time you want to take something from a tree, take it from a rapidly renewable young-growth tree.
Want to create the perfect eco-nest? Get the nuts and bolts (pun intended!) on building green on Planet Green TV's Renovation Nation.
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