An American Tragedy, How a Mass Extinction Can Help Save Our Forest | Rex Mann | TEDxYoungstown

it's December 1983 in the North Carolina mountains the sun's gone down a cold wind makes you button up your coat and move closer to the campfire my two young sons and three nephews are circled around that fire smell in the wood smoke listening to the fire pop all eyes are fixed on my dad Howard man he's a mountain of a man in his old brown hunting coat overalls flannel shirt black log and boots he's telling about a way of life that existed in those mountains for two hundred years closely tied to this tree the American chestnut he's talking with great passion about what the tree meant to his people it's huge sighs the wonderful wood used for everything from cradles to coffins and the never failing crops of chestnuts that nurtured the mountain people their livestock an abundant wildlife that they depended on then his voice changed and in a sad tone he told how in nineteen and for chestnuts began to die from a strange disease a blight in just 40 years all four billion American chestnuts were dead laid in to end four billion trees would circle the globe one and a half times as I stood behind that circle of kids I saw something no one else saw a tear sliding down is wrinkled old face I'd never seen my dad cry before even when suffering agonizing pain or grief everything changed for me in that moment I'd heard chestnut stories all my life but it hit me this tree wasn't just the foundation of an amazing ecosystem stretching from Maine to Georgia it was the foundation of a culture a way of life now gone forever loss of the chestnut was an American tragedy described by ecologist as the worst environmental disaster ever distract our country but this disaster could help save our forests it was a warning shot across the bow foreshadowing the fate of many more tree species yet to come if we do nothing as goes the future of American chestnut so goes the future of all our forests my dad's stories inspired me to become a forester and for 42 years I walked in places so beautiful it left you speechless Yellowstone with all its wonders the mystery of the Everglades the southern Appalachian in their autumn colors but one thing continued to haunt me for years the gray ghosts the trunks of the long dead chestnuts still stood in gaze down at me as I worked in the woods and I understood the profound sadness my dad felt for this tree there's a battle raging in our forest with many tree species lost to insects and diseases brought in through world trade chestnut was the first fallen soldier there are many more we've lost American elm we are losing Eastern hemlock in ash trees by the millions with each loss of a species our forests become less resilient less able to cope with future threats our modern urban lifestyle is separating us from the land we say we love nature but most of us don't understand it you may not even know these terrible losses are occurring right now we drive through our forests we look down from our planes we see lots of green and we think all is well with the world but understand each plant and animal living in that forest is interconnected every life-form plays a part in keeping that system healthy like dominoes fallen there is a cascading negative impact when we lose a species on many other species including our own loss of hemlock shade causes streams to warm trout no longer reproduce half the medicines in use today were first derived from plants or animals half the oxygen required for life comes from trees scientists believe we are beginning the greatest extinction event since the loss of the dinosaurs but this one is caused by man we are not separate from nature we have basic needs that can only be supplied by forests will allow species to disappear at our own peril I do have some good news chestnut is still beloved in Appalachia for 35 years dedicated citizen scientists volunteers have implemented a breeding plan laid out by a world-famous plant breeder based on sound science the techniques involved have been used for decades to breed disease resistance into our food crops but they've never before been used on a tree the chestnut were developing is basically pure American in how it looks and how it grows but now genes that convey disease resistance are incorporated into that tree for the first time in history science and technology have advanced to a point where we have the tools to restore much that we're losing we have the wealth as a nation we have the means but do we have the will our government will not restore these trees were losing too many demands on our Treasury that leaves you and me to do the job I don't know how long I have to spread the word when I retired in 2007 I was diagnosed with stage four non-hodgkins lymphoma it was in my bone marrow and after five months of awful chemotherapy it went into remission it struck me that was what was happening to my body was similar to what's happening in our forest when a disease enters a system it can be treated and go away or it can spread like wildfire spark in other diseases I could not shake the notion that I was left here for a reason that's why I'm up here telling you about chestnut restoration instead of sitting there besides you where I absolutely would be more comfortable I'm not the hero of the story you are in just a few years we'll begin to put this new chestnut back into the woods the restoration is not as simple as just planting trees it's very complex but here's how you could help you can spread the seeds of this movement with your social media technology things an old dinosaur Forester has no clue how to use I'm trying I am trying thank God for grandkids I can furnish information but I need your help to spread this story if we do nothing this extinction event will gather steam more species will be lost our children will inherit the world far far poorer in natural resources but when we succeed in restoring chestnut we will have created a model a template for other citizens who care to stop this madness and figure out how to restore our losses by supporting this cause far greater than ourselves we began to reconnect our people to the land whether your contribution is volunteering for restoration financial or spreading the word you'll look back someday and say I'm proud I was a part of that in your lifetime you can make a significant difference no one has the right to deny our children the benefits of the natural world we have enjoyed if we have the means to stop this destruction we have a deep obligation to do so I believe we have the means that's why I'm devoting the rest of my day to this historic mission and being a part of something never before done in human history bringing back a tree the American chestnut once thought lost forever my dad would be very proud today thank you you

Channel: TEDx Talks

Views: 70,761

Rating: 4.9265308 out of 5

Keywords: TEDxTalks, English, Global Issues, Nature, Rebuilding, Science, Trees

Id: zwvlY8Hll3c

Length: 12min 45sec (765 seconds)

Published: Fri Nov 30 2018