I am especially fond of the watercolor and ink drawing “The Oak” by American realist painter Andrew Wyeth. It features the gnarly trunk and leaves of a mature oak tree.
Maybe I just like oaks, as does the acclaimed writer and entomologist, Dr. Douglas Tallamy, whose most recent book is “The Nature of Oaks.”
In a recorded interview, Tallamy explained oak trees’ role in the ecosystem. “I always focus on food webs first. Plants of course, are capturing the energy from the sun and turning it into food… Oaks pass [food] on better than any other plant genus in North America," said Tallamy.
He continued, “They’re great at sequestering carbon, which we certainly need today. They’re great at pumping that carbon into the soil, which we certainly need today. They’re great at managing our watersheds, because they have such big canopies and big root systems. “
This time of year, while the leaves benefit from the sun and while the oaks offer a range of environmental services to the forest community, they also are collecting the sun’s energy, converting it to food and sending these resources down to the roots in order to sustain the tree for the coming year.
Similarly, Interlochen Public radio offers a range of services to its listening community, here and throughout the world. Each summer, it too must gather and retain resources to sustain IPR's mission through the coming year.
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