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TANGENTS

A Tree's Life

BY IHTISHAM KABIR
I blinked in disbelief. The Jambura sapling that I had nurtured painstakingly was suddenly looking strange. Its leaves had disappeared leaving only the spines which resembled long green thorns. Inspecting, I found the culprit: a fat green caterpillar chomping away at the leaves. I quickly quashed the bug, eliminating one of many threats this tree will encounter in its life.
Is a tree's life boring? There is, surprisingly, much drama in the life of a tree.
For example, I once watched a Chhatim tree during its shortlived bloom (the flowers last only a few days.) A swarm of insects, bees and butterflies mostly, flew around in a state of great excitement. They must have known this bonanza was temporary. They circled the flowers, clipped them with their wings and dived in and out, as if pulled by a magnet.
The insects were helping the Chhatim reproduce by pollinating its flowers.
A month later, pods of seeds appeared on the Chhatim tree. After the rains, several tiny Chhatim seedlings appeared under the tree.
But that is only the start. On its way to maturity, a seedling encounters many enemies and few friends. Often it competes with other trees to catch sunlight. It may change its direction of growth or send branches in unexpected directions.
A growing tree sustains damage for many reasons - broken branches, damaged bark, insect
attacks, parasites and disease. Sometimes the damage is not immediate: a dent left in the trunk by a broken branch may fill with rainwater and start a rot. Some damages are hidden, like insects devouring a trunk or root from within.
For immature trees, cows are the biggest enemy. A cow cannot resist young, tender leaves, so the plant must be protected. Where bamboo is available, protective cages are built; otherwise, metal fencing can be used.
People kill trees for many reasons, the most obvious being firewood and timber. But there are other reasons, too. Agar trees, for example, are valued for a perfumed wooden lump they produce, which fetch large sums. This lump is actually a tumour induced in the tree by artificially impregnating it with bacteria (with a nail or injection.) The
tumour grows for a few years and is then harvested. The tree, unfortunately, pays with its life.
Blights are another enemy of trees. I see dead raintrees all over Dhaka, black bark peeling to reveal beige wood underneath. This is probably caused by blight, which is a good reason to maintain variety when planting trees.
But the drama is not over when a tree falls or dies. It is astonishing to see how quickly new life takes its place. The root may send out new shoots. Eucalyptus trees do this vigorously, though most new shoots topple with the wind. Dead trunks often provide food and home to orchids, vines and parasitical plants which get nourishment from the decomposing tree.
If you think trees have boring lives, it is time for another look
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