Muir Woods National Monument
How Do You Replace A 2000 Year Old Tree?. 
This post is a part of the Season of Gratitude Series. You can participate by writing a gratitude post and telling me about it. For more details, click here.
As I stepped lightly and reverently among the redwoods of the Muir Woods National Monument, this was the question I pondered. The Coast Redwood, or California Redwood as it is sometimes called, grows exclusively along the Pacific Coasts. They are over 2000 years old and grow to over 350 feet high and 20 feet wide. They are able to stay moist off the fog in the area and do not solely depend on the root system for moisture. The tannin in the redwood also makes the trees fire and insect resistant. The trees are coniferous, but also have another unique way to reproduce. When they are under stress the trees sprout burls which germinate and are ready to sprout saplings.
While these trees are extremely resilient to their climate, while they have developed a reproductive system that ensures that they survive, while they rely on a communal root system for nourishment, and even armed with inherent substances to withstand fire and insects, they are vulnerable to one thing, mankind. We have managed to dwindle the Redwood forest down to 1% of its original size.
Sure, in numbers, there are many more trees. We can continue to have wood for our decks, our homes, and our offices for this generation without worrying about the trees becoming extinct. However, can we continue to consume these trees at our current rate and still have them be around for the next 7 generations, at most 700 years?
When a Redwood takes 2000 years to grow to its magnificent height and girth, can we replace it?
If we can manage to destroy an ecosystem so indigenously resilient, what does that say about our sense of connection? I[base ']m not one to nurture nature at my expense. However, I do see a correlation between our sense of disconnect from each other and our Selves, and our disregard for the environment in which we live.
Just for today, I will pay attention to living things around me - the trees, birds, squirrels, ants, bees, dragonflies. The living things in my environment which I take for granted. Those plants and flowers with the diverse spectrum of colors. The ones that not only enhance my aesthetic life, but also help me to survive without my interference or knowledge.
Today, I am grateful for my natural surroundings. What are you grateful for?
In Spirit,
Nneka
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 [Balanced Life Center]
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