 Fantasy: June 29, 2022 Issue [#11435] |
This week: Ghost Forests Edited by: Robert Waltz  
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All forests have their own personality. I don't just mean the obvious differences, like how an English woodland is different from a Central American rain forest, or comparing tracts of West Coast redwoods to the saguaro forests of the American Southwest... they each have their own gossip, their own sound, their own rustling whispers and smells. A voice speaks up when you enter their acres that can't be mistaken for one you'd hear anyplace else, a voice true to those particular tress, individual rather than of their species.
― Charles de Lint, The Onion Girl
What an irony it is that these living beings whose shade we sit in, whose fruit we eat, whose limbs we climb, whose roots we water, to
whom most of us rarely give a second thought, are so poorly understood. We need to come, as soon as possible, to a profound understanding and appreciation for trees and forests and the vital role they play, for they are among our best allies in the uncertain future that is unfolding.
― Jim Robbins, The Man Who Planted Trees: Lost Groves, Champion Trees, and an Urgent Plan to Save the Planet |
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Long ago, when I got my driver's license, I used it to explore my surrounding area. One of the routes into the nearest town was my favorite, because it involved descending a small hill into a lush, forested valley, onto a straight, level stretch of road with trees massing on both sides. Kid Me took advantage of this to violate the speed limit, especially in the hot, muggy Tidewater summers; while driving through the lowland, the temperature shifted from "way too hot" to "refreshing, especially at eighty miles an hour." (No, my pickup truck didn't have air conditioning.)
The next summer, though, I noticed that most of the trees had failed to grow leaves, and it wasn't nearly as cooling.
After that, I went off to college, but like many college students, returned to my hometown periodically. Each year, the forest became more sparse, until it was little more than a few lonely, gray trunks, their jagged ends pointing at the sky like spears, their roots in a bog. I could only imagine the displaced wildlife, the complete alteration of the ecology of the area.
It was the first time I'd seen such a transformation, but it certainly wouldn't be the last. It was only later that I learned that the phenomenon was fairly common, and had a name: ghost forest.
The world we live in is constantly changing. Some of these changes are expected and seasonal, like autumn leaves and snow. Others are fast and devastating, like a wildfire or tornado. Still others happen so slowly as to be beyond our direct perception, like the erosion of a mountain range or continental drift.
But some changes, like the ghost forest, happen over a few years, completely changing the landscape and local ecosystem. And those, I think, don't get enough mention in stories. Seasonal transformations are background. Sudden catastrophes provide drama and conflict. Slow geological shifts can become background to show the passage of deep time. But things like the death of an entire forest over the span of half a decade or so, well, I haven't encountered many of those.
But they can be important, too. And, perhaps, it's a chance to give the ghost forests an afterlife. |
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Last time, in "Justice" , I talked about crime and punishment.
BIG BAD WOLF is Howling  : I can give two opposite examples involving Slavery and Werewolves.
In one interactive, Big Fat City Guard, a human woman finds herself being freed from slavery because a slave trader decided to kick a dog, said dog turned out to be a werewolf, who turned out to be none other than the Commander of the Guard of a nearby city - Said Slave trader gets charged with quote - "Kidnapping, enslavement, assault, assault of a Guard, and failure to pay taxes" - end quote. Would of been a visit to the dungeon, but then the Slave trader tried to bribe the Commander - visit to the Hangman now.... of course, immediately releasing the slaves reduced to to several years hard labor.
As for the other interactive, Werewolf Invasion, I have at least one thread where, after the alien werewolves took over in 10,000BC, fast-forward, humans are basically highly valued pets. Haven't really gone too far with that one, but there's a number of possibilities.
"...and creatin' a nuisance."
brom21  : Thanks for the NL! This concept perfectly aligns with where I am at in the book I am writing. The protagonist and the co-tagonist cross a tumultuous sea to find an unknown kingdom. Of course, the inhabitance speaks another language, but this obstacle is promptly solved with a holy relic that allows everyone to communicate. lol. I will try to make some unique customs in light of your relevant explanation. Thanks again!
I addressed the issue of communication in a previous newsletter; all these things work together.
So that's it for me for June -- see you next month! Until then,
DREAM ON!!!
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