Trees are much like a Company, each leaf is an employee of the company and each one makes money by means of photosynthesis, in short its making starches and sugars and sending them down to the company. The company in turn directs this energy we’ll call Money to where it’s needed most. There is also another group of employees under ground, these are the roots. Roots cannot live without support of the upper employees and the upper employees can’t live without the roots. These two groups work in a symbiotic relationship with each other. As the leaves are manufacturing sugars and starches and sweating like a horse they call for water and countless other nutrients from the roots. As the roots work profusely gathering up all these nutrients and water for their fellow companions they are calling for starches and sugars.The company (tree) is dealing with all kinds of other issues such as the chemical supply it uses to compartmentalize a wound or cavity. These wound areas harbor the most deadly enemy a tree has other than us humans, (funguses) a fungus will steadily eat away at the tree unless it is walled off by a chemical compound and the healthier a tree the more of this chemical it can make. Also the company is in charge of how much growth it puts on for the season and this is determined by how well the two groups of employees are doing making money. Not much money means not much growth, not to mention the fact that its defenses are low as well, making it more vulnerable for attack, not just by fungus but by insects as well. It’s not hard to see that by removing large numbers of employees on either side of the company can affect a tree dramatically. As in any large company there are slackers (I bet you have worked with a few) and branches that are not operating or growing in the best direction for the long term future of the company. This is one way large companies stay strong, they hire consultants to come in and evaluate the company and its employees and prune out the branches of employees that are slackers and hurting the overall long term growth.
Trees are extremely resilient and are able to tolerate unbelievable living conditions in most cases, although when we see a dead tree, basically what has happened, for what ever the reason, the company has gone bankrupt. Its savings account went empty and trees don’t operate on the welfare program, if you’re a tree you are all on your own.
Ruel Jones, President
Quality Tree Surgery, Inc.
