Ruskin and a trillion Trees

 I woke up today and thought about Ruskin.  In his book The Elements of Drawing one of his initial tasks is to lay under a tree and draw the spaces between the the branches, specifically to draw the empty space that constructs the form through marking its edges.  Perhaps this is one of our tasks within the trees project.  Instead of trying to draw the trees roots and branches we try and map the spaces between things. This will leave us with an idea of something that goes beyond initial preconceptions.  perhaps this is the point of both drawing and research.

On radio four this morning a scientist was saying we should not really be planting trees we should be re-wilding; letting nature do its job.  He said that given time the planet would naturally grow back its forests and the thing we should do is step back and stop interfering. I am not sure how mainstream this science is but having seen how nature takes back land, the old world war 2 aircraft runways for example I am tempted to think he probably has a point.  

 

Perhaps its not about planting trees at all or human management its about trying to use as little space as possible for agriculture and letting the rest of the land run its course.  Giant stacks of dark solar powered hydroponic systems growing synthetic meat and the rest of the world is given back to the wild.

I don't know anything much about trees though and I feel like I will be working with people who know lots. So much that it will be difficult not to default  to their more extensive knowledge.  Perhaps in drawing the spaces in-between we can construct something different- make a space for knowledge to re-wild itself a place for a new ecology to grow?