Forest and Tree Conservation Through Metaphysical Constraints

2002 57 Most people feel kindly disposed to, or even “love” trees, since they provide them with many directly useful resource products. Moreover, they are a habitat for desired fauna; protect watershed lands, streamsides, and springs from erosion; provide shade for humans and their animals; and are a source of aesthetic enjoyment. A utilitarian attitude often results in their being removed in order to convert them into useful material. Other relationships toward trees, however, involving respect, awe, worship or fear, will be referred to as “sacred,” and usually result in tree or forest conservation and preservation, rather than utilization. Trees, groves, or forests become sacred through a recognition of some kind of power that they express. This power may evoke in us attitudes of worship, awe, or fear (many other emotive feelings have been suggested, but these three span a spectrum which is sufficient for this paper). Sacred individual trees and groups of trees have characterized almost every culture and religion where trees are capable of growing. Even in virtually treeless deserts, the date palm became the Tree of Life to early Semites and Lawrence S. Hamilton