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What About A Resilient Forest?

A tree is a solid and constant being, free of human weaknesses like discontent and striving. So wrote John Muir, the environmental philosopher and early advocate for land preservation, about the symbolic nature of the tree. Yet, in another way, a tree might have discontent about ecological disruption in the forest, for the tree is not an isolated being but part of an interconnected network on which life everywhere depends. 


That’s where the art piece FIRE/LAND starts, by asking lyrically how a tree actually feels. Not only poetically inspiring, this idea speaks to me of species survival through adaptation and migration. Does a tree move and adapt? Do humans change in ways that make a difference to a tree? A tree moves through its seeds. Species that can adapt and move successfully can reduce their risk of mortality and become survivors. 

A long time ago, my dad taught me to grow vegetables and take care of a garden. That influenced my path in life ever since. The plant seed is the first unit of life. The seed knows its contents but it cannot speak. Its genes reveal its provenance–where it came from and its parentage. But how does the seed respond in its sprouting, its yearning for height, its buffeting of wind, disease, and heat? We watch and wait.


Recently I found myself on a tour of the Institute of Forest Genetics in Placerville, determinedly scuffing along a dry duff-covered trail, kicking battered pinecones. Take note: seeds snagged in clothes, boots, whiskers, fur, glued to stump wells, forgotten by squirrels. Like the wind and animals, we are seed dispersers for the trees.


How can genetics inform decisions on what to plant in forest restoration projects in the face of climate change? The Provenance Test. Plant your seeds in a common garden and watch what happens. Study a set of parameters. Is it elevation, density, watering, diversity, the soil chemistry here, once used for pears, then pines, now oaks, that influences tree growth? With their genetic origins tuned to frosty higher latitudes, some baby trees are maladapted for this warming world. 


I walk along the rows of intentionally planted trees and silently ask: Are you frost tolerant? Are you plagued by adaptational lags, lusting for cooler nights but enduring pitiless early September heat waves? Are you a valley oak of parentage able to adapt to changing bud bursts, sending your leaves out at the earliest convenience but then find them frostbit and your seeds wasted? Will you do the same again next year? Are you a fast-growing type that insect creatures love, the one in which wasps lay their eggs and ants suck your nectar because you are sweeter, and swifter, your taproot extending six feet below the ground before you show your first leaves. 


Maybe I hear a few whispers in response. 


As an artist, I’m using the symbolic and poetic to explore meaning and draw attention to a complex unstable situation. And, some of us are songwriters trying to conjure up a tree's melody, or listeners making careful observations. There is much to be “discontented” about when it comes to the current state of the forest and the strategies and the will we need to mitigate the effects of our destructive actions, so that the tree might, once again, be content.


-Ameera Godwin


—

FIRE/LAND

An Experience Inspiring Community Resilience

Saturday, June 10th, 2023, 4PM - 10PM

Wakamatsu Farm, 941 Cold Springs Road, Placerville, CA 95667


A project of Myrtle Tree Arts and co-hosted by the American River Conservancy, this unique "art rock opera for the forest" and public forum will happen at the landmark Wakamatsu Farm. During the speaker forum in the late afternoon, local experts and representatives will share community issues related to wildfire, land stewardship, emergency preparedness, cultural preservation, and forest ecology. The evening features Main Street Collective's Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon 50th Anniversary concert followed by FIRE/LAND: Knowing the Territory, a musical and dramatic performance starring musicians, singers, Native American storyteller, and video projections in a creative exploration of wildfire, ecological change, and resilience in El Dorado County. This intellectual and creative experience strives to spark inspiration and your call to action in support of community resilience! 
See more details on the Myrtle Tree Arts Fire/Land page.


FIRE/LAND: The Exhibition

SWITCHBOARD GALLERY

Arts and Culture El Dorado 

525 Main St. Placerville, CA

June 8 - August 6, 2023

Experience this installation of Ameera Godwin's digital prints and video from FIRE/LAND.

 

Artist Talk, July 13th, 6pm 

 

 

FIRE/LAND is made possible with support from:

The Latrobe Fund, Sacramento Region Community Foundation,
Pure Life/Sacred Roots, in partnership with the
American River Conservancy and Arts and Culture El Dorado

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