Nature: A Cycle of Destruction and Renewal
The same storm system that did so much damage in December 2006 in the Seattle area, also took a huge toll in Vancouver, BC. More than 10,000 trees were toppled in Stanley Park (New York Times, reg. req.) leaving some previously lush areas of the park denuded.
People loved the park and its magnificent trees as a convenient escape back to nature from the stress of city life. They feel great sadness at the loss.
The current condition of the park stands as a monument to the awesome power of nature, however. It is an opportunity to respect nature just as much as the forested park was, perhaps even to a greater degree.
Now the city residents can witness the rebirth and growth of new life in the park over the next few decades. Change will occur rapidly. There will be sun in places where there wasn’t any before. The park is everything and more that is was before.
On one hill overlooking the park’s northwestern flank, the number of trees still standing could be counted on one hand. Park staff members estimate 85 to 90 percent of the trees in this area of the park were knocked down during the storms, though many of those left standing are unstable and will be taken down during the cleanup.
“There will be almost nothing left here by the time the cleanup is done,” said Mr. Quinn, [a foreman at the park] who then pointed at one of the few remaining trees, long dead, where a bald eagle was landing with a fresh branch to add to its nest. “We’re all rebuilding from the storms.”
That’s something you would not have seen before the storm.
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