Brought to you by Dragon Lady with ThenAtlas Analytics & a century of forestry research
Decision analyses are based on patterns of change in forests with the goal:
To create a more meaningful life
Decision Forest Summary
Dragon Lady’s life decision:
How best to assist a family member.
The possible answer:
Help with financial expenses
How this changes your forest:
Grows a large tree larger
This change is best for:
Those who want greater efficiency to focus on what is most important
Your current forest:
Old Growth
This decision is:
Trees need to grow to survive and it is healthy for larger trees in this forest to continue growing; however, it is important not to let one tree completely dominate.
Similar to people, forests are complex and always changing.
Patterns of change in forests can help us make decisions in our own lives.
Understand where you are now:
Your Current Forest
About Your Forest
– Several old trees, some large, some slow growing and smaller.
– New diverse uniquely adapted trees continuously establishing without taking away from existing trees.
– Small trees can maintain very slow growth for extended periods without being lost.
– This forest has been through several cycles of: Disturbance that has strengthend the remaining trees and increased species diversity.
– Deep soils (many trees lost and decomposing) create disturbance resistance and improve the ability to establish new trees.
– Trees are diverse and often intertwined (leading to mutual strength).
This forest type is rare, difficult to reach, and may not be suitable for most.
– It requires embracing change and balancing tree growth with diversity
– This includes establishing new trees that can eventually force out old less-suitable trees.
– This forest requires making decisions on which trees are best adapted for your forest.
Translation: Everyone wants to be a well-rounded person with a supportive community but it is surprizingly difficult. The main challenge is that this is not a stable ending but rather an always changing middle. To become Old Growth the things that are meaningfull need to be supportive of each other and grow with each other. These forests are also characterized by high diversity, which tends to feel inefficient, but it can allow your resources (time, money, energy) to be used more effectively.
How to know if a new tree is better adapted?
– For example: Scuba diving could be a fun new hobby with the potential for long-term satisfaction. But scuba diving should not force out other trees like a career. Unless, of course, the scuba diving can improve upon your current career satisfaction, lifestyle, income, relationships, and the experiences to keep growing intellectually. If it can fill that niche, then quitting a “normal” job to become a scuba instructor in Fiji could be a great example of a small tree forcing out a large unhealthy tree!
Your Previous Forest
h. Desert shrub (Mostly bare soil with no real trees)
How You Got Here
Momentum: A time of loss. Loss of employment, divorce, suicide. Spiritual crisis.
Primary Cause of Change
Resiliency. Letting go and moving forward. Self confidence. = Much better
How is Life Now?
Much better
Age Group
50’s
This Decision: Grows a large tree larger
How this changes your forest:
Bigger trees have deeper roots which helps build forest resistance to disturbance.
Translation: Devoting more time and energy to things we already find important can maximize those most meaninful aspects of life. It brings more meaning into your life and makes those things more likely to survive a disruption. For example, something terrible happens, its going to be your family and good friends that are there to support you (rather than a co-worker). The challenge is, that it often leads to life being full with no room to try new things or meet new people.
Ideal for:
Those who want greater efficiency to focus on what is most important
Less ideal for:
Those in an unstable environment
Your actual forest change may be much more subtle depending on the magnitude of the decision.
Your Future Forest
Your future forest is not expected to change from your current forest (described above). Forests rarely stay the same over time because trees need to grow to survive.
Related Decisions:
What it means to lose a tree..
[gathering more community stories]
Now the decision is:
IS THIS THE FOREST YOU WANT?
Comment below if this was helpful!
Here are some additonal directions that may help create an Old Growth forest
![[Or maintain your Old Growth]](https://thenatlas.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/ForestTradingCards.005heading.png "[Or maintain your Old Growth]")
Becoming an old growth forest is unique for everyone. We are developing more customizable online tools to help with this – until then, feel free to contact us for guidance; AND, try to follow all of the 6 key forest change strategies:
Resistance: Grow big trees bigger for greater resource efficiency and disturbance resistance.
Disruption: Forest disturbances are inevitable, use it as an opportunity to identify the strongest trees.
Resilience: Grow new trees and prevent small trees from being lost for better ability to “bounce back” after a disturbance.
Expansion: Make sure your forest is actually full, but don’t overfill
Focus: Full forests often change because the have to (i.e. self-thinning), where-as forests with open space have greater opportunity to stay the same or grow new trees.
Revolution: Figure out how trees can better coexist and support each other; or, let healthy better-adapted trees force out toxic (allelopathic) large trees.
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