Working with environmental issues like following up felling operations to ensure the certification standards are being followed, you learn that moss on stones is a good thing. It shows a long continuity of a natural and vital environment, which is a good sign of sustainability.
Moss doesn’t grow on all stones
This goes for forestry and nature. But in other cases, it might be the other way around. The lack of moss could also be a sign of vitality and freshness. It depends on the type of stone.
You may have noticed, dear reader, that I have been silent a bit longer than usual. I apologize for that. The reason may not be acceptable to everyone, but it is simple:
I sneaked off to get old(-er). Not like the elephant hiding away to die. More like me trying to prove that I’m not that old after all. So, there happens to be a band that is the same age as me – as a band. The members of the band are slightly older than me. What I did was that I went to their hometown to see them live in the local park called Hyde Park.
Yes, we are talking about the Rolling Stones.
What’s that got to do with forestry?
A most relevant question. Well, apart from that I after my vacation temporarily ran out of things to write about: Hyde Park is a combination of a meadow and a forest. We did see a fox there so I think you can call it a forest.
Also, the main stage of the arena that is used for concerts is called the “Great Oak Stage” and it has a big oak on it. I’m not sure if the oak is real, but it’s there anyway, to the far left on the pic below (taken with my phone at a distance). And even if this oak is fake, there are many more, enough to call it a forest, in Hyde Park.
The Tree Man
Furthermore, the Rolling Stones keyboardist since 1982, Chuck Leavell, is known as “the Tree Man”. He is a forest owner from Georgia, US who combines his passions for music, sustainable forestry, and the environment. Chuck has his own tv-show, American Forests with Chuck Leavell where he informs about forestry and forest products.
Personally, I find it amazing that “we” (the forestry people) have a guy among us who is a professional musician. In most jobs and professions, you can start as mediocrity and then work yourself up on the job. To get a job as a musician, working with Eric Clapton, George Harrison, Allman Brothers, Chuck Berry, Hank Williams Jr, the Stones, and many others like Chuck do, you must be the best from the start.
Let´s hope there will grow no moss on those Stones for many years yet.
Keep rolling folks!
Photos and film: Per Jonsson
(As the possibility to bring cameras to concerts is limited. All photos and films are made with a mobile phone).
