Further reflections: ‘The Right Tree in the Right Place’? — we need conversations about wiser forestry and ‘The Right Forestry Practice in the Right Place’

April 19, 2023

I was delighted to see there has been further reflections on the recent event in Edinburgh’s Royal Botanic Garden, which I contributed a pre-recorded talk on Wiser Forestry: Arguing for the Right Forest Practice in the Right Place‘

Thank you Creative Carbon Scotland, and Dr Chris Freemantle for EcoArtScotland and the international Centre for Sustainable Practice in the Arts for sharing these reflections and my talk.

My grateful thanks also to the wonderful visual graphic recorder, Alice Dansey-Wright who recorded key points from my talk, in this wonderful image.

Since, the event at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh, I’ve recently also shared my pre-recorded presentation on Wiser Forestry: Arguing for the Right Forestry Practice in the Right Place with poets and writers for the 10th Brewery Lane 3-days Writers workshop on ‘Voice, Vision and Values in South Tipperary, Ireland, last weekend. I co-faciliated this workshop with the wonderfully ecologically-attuned poet Grace Wells.

To give the context to this talk, I first shared the shocking TV 1News footage from my NZ home area, of how recent climate-fueled cyclones are catastrophically affecting present NZ clearfell plantation practices (I’m still taking in the scale and month long state of emergency in my NZ home area after cyclones hit in Jan-Feb. 2023). This led to a meaningful conversation about how we respond to unfolding ecological breakdown.

For these poets and writers, I shared how my writing and creative activities to create this presentation helped me to face my recent personal eco anxiety, grief and solastalgia. It is increasingly important, I think, to share our emotional responses, our sorrow of home places affected by climate breakdown and unsustainable land practices … and it seems to permit others to express their concerns in tangible, activating ways. Many thanked me for my vulnerability in sharing my emotional responses and we all reflected how poetry and writing must bring greater attention, love and care for place, people and planet.

Much of our most meaningful creative work flows when we are aligned with our authentic voice, vision and values. From a deep central core within ourselves, we’re able to creatively respond with integrity and authority to the challenging world around us.

Terry Tempest Williams has written, ‘We know in our bones that the world is broken,’ but for many of us it’s not enough to stand idly by—even though we may not yet know just how we’d like to respond to what’s going on.

At this year’s Brewery Lane Writers’ Weekend, eco-creatives Cathy Fitzgerald and Grace Wells will be offering an introduction to ecoliteracy and an eco-arts writing practice. We’ll be exploring how we can best participate in the ecology of life at this challenging time, and offering some nourishing and nurturing meditative practices that will help to support our creativity and the wider world. Inspired by the hopeful tradition of the Earth Charter, the three days of workshops, readings, meditative practices and one-to-one mentoring sessions, will offer spaces for you to align to your own voice, vision and values as you unfold a creative way forward. Whether you’re prompted to set quiet whispers onto the tides or to take daring artistic and environmental actions, this course will offer a nurturing foundation for your next steps.

VOICE, VISION AND VALUES

Overall, it is vital to keep reminding others of the urgent, unprecedented scale of cultural change needed.

How we must talk more of permanent forestry practices, to regenerate whoe forest ecosystems urgently, in addition to better tree species selection.

Ecosystem regeneration, thinking and practicing anew so all forests (and other habitats) can thrive in perpetuity, is what we most need to move us from unwise human-centric ecocidal atrocities of the Anthropocence / Plantationcene. It is why the UN has promoted that this is the decade of ecosystem regeneration

And time is so short. So new regenerative practices to assist ecosystems thriving (beyond the current focus on economic profits from forestry) must be to the fore of forestry discussions, here in Ireland, Scotland, Aotearoa New Zealand and elsewhere.

And I’m still proud, from my modest experiences and learning from The Hollywood Forest Story, to have helped advocate more ecological, permanent CCF forestry as the primary key point of Irish Green Party forest policy since 2013. In 2023, ecological forestry practices and incentives for change are now supported by the Irish government and permanent forests and woodlands are spreading across the island of Ireland.

Change is afoot everyone, but we must broaden our conversations to share why ecosystem regeneration, including wiser forestry is so needed.

Read more from the Creative Carbon Website 6 April 2023: ‘

27 March 2023:
‘At this event, we spend an afternoon at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh where we through creative and scientific means explored the role of trees in the climate crisis and biodiversity collapse. 

This Green Tease event took place at the Royal Botanical Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) and provided an opportunity for creative practitioners and environmentalists to learn and make connections on sustainable tree planting in Scotland.

The event started with Emma Nicolson, Head of Creative Programmes RBGE and artist Keg de Souza introducing the exhibition Shipping Roots followed by a guided walk by Dr Max Coleman before we all met at the Botanics Cottage to discuss sustainable forestry and the role of creative practice in ensuring this.

The discussions were informed by presentations from Pat Snowden from Scottish Forestry and ecological artist Dr Cathy Fitzgerald.

This event was organised in collaboration with the Royal Botanical Garden Edinburgh.  

---

The Right Tree in the Right Place? —