Imagine if a tree industry convention was reminiscent of a high school science fair. Just 10x’ed.
Remember science fairs? The ones with the big pop-up posters and models demonstrating what people should understand about volcanoes, the water cycle, static electricity, and so on.
Just swap the focus of the fair to being all about trees. Dozens, if not hundreds of booths, all displaying trees. And yet each booth is distinct from the next; each booth displaying a different species of tree.
Imagine if rather than trying to find the one cure-all to improving the health of an abstract tree, imagine if we got a little more specific by addressing the needs most often associated with particular species of trees in particular places.
Perhaps there could even be a 5-10 year old real version of the tree that could be brought into the booth in a container pot. Of course an indoor setting may not work, but a greenhouse could, or perhaps the event could be held outdoors. Let’s not get too carried away for the time being though.
Imagine if surrounding each tree there was a miniature landscape complete with a house, shed, pool, grass, and a garden. It could be constructed of whatever materials make the most sense, paper mache, popsicle sticks, clay, etc. Perhaps even little figurines representing a family. Figurines to help us understand that it is people who live next to those trees, summer and winter, day and night and such they need to learn how to co-exist, hopefully even thrive.
Imagine if on these miniature trees that actual demonstrations could be performed representing the multitude of challenges arborists and homeowners may face.
Imagine if each booth was represented by someone(s) with decades of working knowledge on that kind of tree.
Imagine if the globetrotting contract climber took a backseat. Imagine if instead the one who took centre stage, is the one who, like the tree itself, stayed in one place, growing deeper and deeper in their knowledge and understanding.
Imagine a demonstration where a fan is brought in so as to visualize wind loading on that kind of tree. Imagine a fan blowing on a tree that has been pruned properly. Imagine a fan blowing on a nearly identical tree that has been pruned poorly. Imagine finding a visual cue to demonstrate the differences of wind loading from one to the other.
After all, as the saying goes, seeing is believing.
Imagine if a lamp were brought in and shone down on a tree, garden, grass, and a model home. Imagine having that tree pruned properly or improperly and mapping out how it does or doesn’t affect the level of sunlight on the property.
Imagine if we reappropriated a wide range of questions in the industry by applying them to each species of tree. Rather than painting in broad strokes about the benefits of MRS vs. SRS, we juxtapose the debate with each species as the backdrop.
Imagine if we shifted our focus back on to the tree first. Imagine showing off the nice shiny equipment, but only after understanding the problem for which the shiny equipment aimed to correct.
Imagine if we were able to address tree risk assessments by starting with the species first. Imagine if rather than broadly addressing questions about tree risk assessments that are applicable to everyone/everywhere, imagine if we could address the tree risks inherent more-so with one species of tree over another.
Imagine if rather than the standard “Contact Us” form present at most booths in a convention, there was instead species profile that every arborist could fill out. Arborists could name the most common issues, failure points, preferred techniques for climbing/rigging. They could also identify the animals that make home and nest most commonly in that species while naming what region of the world they practice. Imagine if we could finally pave the way for arborists to have a definitive source for species profiles.
What if rather than addressing broad topics in workshops such as identifying biotic and abiotic conditions, we addressed the specific biotic and abiotic conditions most commonly associated with different species of trees.
Imagine if arborists could gather around and share experiences working with that species of tree. Subjective and anecdotal experiences for sure, but still valuable nonetheless.
Imagine if the man or woman who managed the booth was incredibly specialized in a subject matter such as nesting birds, climbing techniques, rigging techniques, plant health care, sales, etc. etc. Then, after an hour or two, the individual specialist moves on to talk about the next tree.
This is a thought exercise. This isn’t typically how dollars and cents flow. But every now and then, things do happen that don’t abide by conventional norms. Perhaps this could be one of them.
Perhaps, perhaps, this doesn’t have to be just a thought exercise. Perhaps one day, not far from now, we can make this idea a reality.
Imagine if we don’t have to only imagine.
