are equipped to withstand the heat and direct sunlight. They in turn
protect those that are more delicate and light-sensitive, and the
young trees that need the CO 2 -rich environment and coolness of the
lower layers of the forest.
Those trees and shrubs that are sensitive to light and heat are
shielded from degenerative effects by varieties of tree whose struc-
ture is designed to resist the heating. By the time the mother tree
dies, its young are ready to take over the role of their parents.
Because trees are allowed to mature and live out their full cycle,
their seeds are of the highest quality, which ensures that the forest
stays in good heart. Nature here, with this rich variety, is in a pro-
ductive state of balance, what Schauberger calls 'changeable, unsta-
ble equilibrium.'
Clearly only Nature, whose very foundation is interconnected-
ness, can truly create biodiversity, albeit slowly. Humanity, now the
dominant species, if it is to survive, must replace its present meth-
ods of cultivation, for forestry or food, with radically different meth-
ods that are sustainable. The most promising experiments to this
end have been made by Permaculture, an environmental movement
founded by Bill Mollison and David Holmgren in Australia in 1974.^9
They have demonstrated how to create an integrated environment
of plants that grow best in association with one another, protecting
each other from pests.
In these artificially created natural habitats, horticulture,
forestry and animal husbandry are combined into a harmonious
and sustainable whole. Shelter belts of trees are planted to protect
the cultivated plots. The available water, the microclimate and the
soil conditions are taken into account. Each human community is
in this way able gradually to become more self-sufficient. Permacul-
ture methods have been introduced, with great success, into coun-
tries like India where the levels of poverty often restrict the ability
of people to feed themselves. Natural methods of composting and
fertilization are used instead of artificial fertilizers.
High quality hardwoods are still coming out of equatorial and tem-
perate forests and used for fine furniture and musical instruments.
Soon these resources will be exhausted. Where else are we to find
such fine wood? Since mass production has become the norm,
understanding has been lost of the natural processes required to
produce high-quality timber. Vast areas of land are cleared of trees
- THE ROLE OF THE FOREST