This weekend, we were tasked with cutting down some trees that have towered over our forest for over 40 years. Their majestic presence was seen as a nuisance by their previous owners, marred by storm scars and encroachment on forest paths. Where the previous owners saw them as obstacles, we feel the hand of nature has given us blessings.
These trees are not just timber, they are medicines, food and protection from the elements. They are the soil in which we grow new life. Our mission is not to conquer these forests, but to care for them and make them grow with the care they deserve.
The importance of time spent growing together
For several months, my companions - loggers and architects with strange personalities - have been working together to collect these old trees and to build a new project: a garage and workshop. As expected, we are not following today's rushed methods, not following the world's demands for speed, which takes more time than usual.
I feel that pressure, too—the desire for immediacy, the hunger for instant results. It's what modern society lives for. In the internet age, we're conditioned to have everything now—goods, services, even meaning, delivered to us at the touch of a button. But this frantic pursuit leaves us empty and disconnected from the rhythms that once sustained us.
Dialogue with trees: A moment when you feel the weight of life
That evening, after a long labor, my wife shared a quiet reflection. She had been taking photos and videos of our work, and she told me that she felt saddened by the loud thud that rang out as each tree fell to the ground. “It felt like we were taking a life,” she said in a soft voice. Trees speak to one another, she reminded us, and we whispered words of apology and gratitude as we touched the trunks and the ground. For us, cutting down these trees was an intimate, personal, and real experience, very different from buying a neatly cut 2x4 from a DIY store.
When was the last time we truly connected to the things we bought? When did we take the time to think about where the raw materials for our convenience came from? Every plank and beam of wood used in this building is deeply rooted in stories of wind, rain, sun and growth. This is not just a transaction, it is a shared history between the land and us.
Rhythms of Nature: Human Efforts and Tree Growth
Every time we work on this land we are reminded of a truth we have long forgotten: that the pace of human effort is but a shadow of nature's patient unfolding. These trees are silent witnesses to decades of wind, rain and sun, and have grown by enduring many forces beyond our power.
Now, the time has come for them to become different. I will not take this transformation lightly. I honor their patience and serenity, and I call upon their strength to support what we are about to build.
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