Well once again I see all the opinions expressed here as AS at its finest... Everyone has something of value to contribute and as in all things, different people have different opinions, and I Am soooooooo grateful that we all have this forum, in which to share our thoughts and experiences....
I think it is important to be able to step back from the "full speed ahead charge" pace of modern life and look at the effects of social engineering on our perceptions of reality.... So much of what we think is "true", that which we are so sure of, is really nothing more than a story we were told over and over until we lost the ability to distinguish it from objective truth... Our language, education, entertainment, senses, etc, are huge filters through which we must relate to the world. These filters shape our perception of reality in ways that are often imperceptible to the observer. To me that is one of the greatest gifts of traveling to and studying other cultures... When we can enter into another version of "reality", it helps to bring an awareness of our own skewed perceptions....
Our skewed versions of reality are often filled with unquestioned assumptions.... So, when faced with a question or problem, it is helpful to ask "what is really true here?".... Separating the facts from the story.... For example, say we had an agreement to meet for dinner at 7 PM... and you walked in at 7:15..... What is true here???? 1) you said you would meet me at the restaurant at 7 PM. and 2) you walked in the door at 7:15.... Whereas "you were late" is all story... and even more story would be the further interpretations like "you don't respect the value of my time", you didn't have the common courtesy to call", "I can't trust you to keep your word" etc... Many people are unable to distinguish between what is true and the story that they wrap around what really happened.
So what does all that have to do with cameras in trees??? I think we've all been victims of these unquestioned assumptions of our industry.... Of worthwhile note here is also the historical tendency for those who point out these false and unquestioned assumptions to be met with hatred and persecution by the ruling establishment.... So I think that some of Guy's statements would fall under the category of unquestioned assumptions.... For example the statement "It's good for any organism to shed dying tissue. That's why they do it on their own; proper pruning just anticipates that natural act." Guy, what science do you have to back that up??? I also think that is a long way from your earlier position “A healthier tree would remain if height was reduced to the fuller canopy just below the present top. If that was done and sprawl reduced on trunk toward house, strain would be much less on the base”. Here you seem to advocate crown reduction ( which seems to me to be a long way from shedding dying tissue) as a means to reduce failure at crotch. If what you mean is that removing living branches at the top of this tree, because they are going to die in the future, is helpful to the tree and its health…. I would strongly disagree and suggest that such an attitude shows clearly the human arrogance in thinking that we humans know more about what’s best for the tree than the tree itself….
Another unquestioned assumption of our industry might be “if Shigo said it, it must be right”. Shigo is a great scientist and revolutionary thinker, no doubt, yet he has no monopoly on the final truth… Many of his former recommendations and findings will no doubt be proven wrong as new science replaces the old…
We all are immersed in a sea of assumptions and skewed thinking…. There is no way around that… It is helpful to understand this and remain as humble as possible… To think that we really know “the truth” about what is good for trees is unreasonable… We are all just doing the best we can with what we do know….
Guy do you know that there has never been a double blind study proving the efficacy of bypass cardiac surgery?…. What are the unquestioned assumptions of that medical paradigm… I’ve seen well researched reports that conclude the benefits of bypass are altogether unproven and highly questionable and for some demographics bypass is downright dangerous…. Now I wonder how many heart surgeons think, as you do, that money has nothing to do with the way they practice medicine???
