Silviculture for the Soul

Some time ago, on a point of land that juts into the vast blue horizon of Lake Superior’s south shore, I gathered with my neighbors to discuss the idea of saving an 80 acre piece of land that was being threatened by developers who wanted to divide it up into parcels for sale and development. Those of us who had little cabins around this scruffy piece of land could see the beauty beyond and beneath the standing dead balsam fir trees, beyond the overgrown and irregular undergrowth, and beyond the irregular random landscape of alder bush and fern. We were aware of significant wetlands in the interior of this fertile soil that hosted various endangered species of wild orchid, pitcher plants, and small animal life. It was also a haven for larger mammal species such as the bear and deer that were frequently sighted in the quiet interior of this land as one walked by the perimeter.

This is when I learned the term, “Silviculture.” Silviculture refers to the management of the forest or the woods that is done to make the forested area healthier while allowing for certain species to survive and thrive. Individuals may have different ideas about the specifics of the techniques, but the general goal is to improve the over all health of the woods. As we met as a group of people, all interested in saving and improving this oval shaped resource that grew in our midst, we discussed the options for improving the forest and saving the unique species that were hidden under ferns and behind fallen trees.

We talked about taking down standing dead trees that loomed as a fire danger because they stood dry and brittle and ready for a spark of lightning to ignite their tinder dry branches. However, once downed they could become nutrients for the soil and nurse logs for various species and for more growth to happen. We discussed ways to preserve the wetlands that hosted the delicate wild orchids and other wild flowers and plant species. We discussed designing carefully constructed pathways and possible benches so that we could access the interior of this land without significantly disturbing its essential nature. We considered the joint responsibility of maintaining this beautiful vestige of boreal forest going forward.

I thought about our own personal lives. I wondered about the parts that appear to be scruffy and over grown. The parts of our rare beauty that are hidden and over grown and are threatened by extinction in of some of the parts of our inner landscape. I thought about how we sometimes don’t want to deal with looking at those parts that on the surface might appear daunting and impossible to deal with. And then I thought about how, if we apply the principles of Silviculture to our souls, we can begin to grow by cutting down dead and no longer useful, dead wood so that it may lay down and provide nutrients for the rest of the forest of our beings. As we remove the dead wood, more sunlight can reach the parts that are struggling to have life. I wondered about creating pathways into the interior of our lives so that we may sit a while and admire the lesser known places of beauty and tenderness.

My neighbor, who just recently moved to this area in northern Wisconsin, has been shocked and saddened, as she has discovered that many of her trees will need to come down. We walked together through her woods and looked under these towering dead conifers and could see small trees, many varieties, emerging from the forest floor. I showed her where I have cut down the dead and no longer vital trees on my own land, and how now, beautiful spruce, white pine and maple trees are flourishing. Through her tears, she agreed. The dead trees needed to come down. She wanted to allow the new growth to find the sunshine and nutrients they needed to be able to become all they could be in their lifetime in the forest.

If we are willing to cull out the dead growth that is no longer useful in our lives or to our souls, we have the opportunity to encourage and nurture the beautiful parts of ourselves that lay hidden under the pain and dysfunction of old stories and old beliefs that have kept us from growing to our full potential. We often need help wielding the “chainsaw” and trimmer, and may even need help deciding which things need to be cut down and put to rest on the forest floor of our lives. It is helpful to have guides and teachers, friends and companions to walk with us. The entire forest can look daunting, but with help and counsel, we can take one step at a time into the quiet and peace of the forest and start making room for the sun to reach the hidden parts of our lives.

We are not meant to do this journey alone. We will need help. We do not have to keep our desires and longings secret. Others have experience and energy and enthusiasm for walking with us on this journey. There is hope in this journey. And we are not alone.

Janet Elizabeth Hartwick Sterk