Latest / Rhein, Sieg und Westerwald Rundklick / #159 Gary Blackburn my life for the tree

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#159 Gary Blackburn my life for the tree · Rhein, Sieg und Westerwald Rundklick

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So picture this it's nineteen AD five in West Germany ok and
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you've got this massive three hundred you're alt oak tree
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seding right next to a village church.
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So, i still like. Right and till a hue stormeral
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three and damages it and the excepted like state of the art
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rescue met at the time. To say of a couple of cracked
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branches up in the canopy, they will Drive a fifteen tons steel
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truck the reckly over the trees re system.
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We just just i mean it's biologicly desastrer.
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Implity they are systematicly sufficating the tree from the
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grand up just up you know slap of end it on it, so we'll can
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back to the deep def that beer today we're going at the man who
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actually stop this trucks. We're going to the forest to the
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westor world Regent unpacked, the live and work of Gary
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Blackburn. You have this is that to
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fasinating store. It really is he was this young
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englishman who shot up with we'll basily nothing, but at
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climing harness a chainsaw and a rhadic lee different
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understanding of biology and he's some how manage to
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completely revolution is how and in tire contenate carers for
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it's all this muss prusistrys. It's a remarkable shift in
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perspektive really. Because for deckates the
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forestry and arbora culture industrys the operate in them is
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very industrial. Omas Combat of Mindset.
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Like man versus nature. Exackly if a tree present of a
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massive Physical Challenge, the assumption was just the e need a
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brut force have you machineering mans of scale to concrate but
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we're excloring today. Is a perdime shift a wave and
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that mechanical dominant. We've going to more of a
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partnership. Right a deep byelaggal
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partnership with the tree it soel.
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And that partnership really starts by like in at the
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baseline right like the shire devestation of that nineteen ED
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five standard practice. The hubstyker.
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Is the hubstyker this massive fifteen tonn shiri pickers town
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counsils what is roll tons of steels streetercross the Soft
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chartturf just so a guy get res the.
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Kind of Bee which's. The fundamental an atomy of a
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tree, I'm in the real powerhalls of that angent oh get this and
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sit up in a kind. Of it's all underground.
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It lie's completely underground the find rutes system extens way
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out farbion the dripline of the branches and there's rutes they
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rely and tirraly on the struxral matrix of the soil.
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Way struxral Matrix you like the dirt.
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Will See how the soil is in just dirt it ax like a hilly complex
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spunch. It's full of the things called
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makropors. Ok.
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They're basically this tiny struxral pockets that holt
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moisture and crusally they a love a gas exchange.
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The roots actually need to pol oxagine from this microscopic
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pockets to surrive. Oh well, ok so that make the
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cherry pickameth at completely a logical that's like stepping on
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a deep c divers air hose just see can get a better angel to
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claner goggles. That is a perfic denology like.
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You like fix the surface is you but you're active.
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We killing the patient that is. Execut of the macanical reality
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a vobus happeding because we you drive a fifteen ton hopstiger or
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that soft terf. You personally compressed that
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delicate's well matrix. You're crush, the spunch.
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You crush all of as microports you effective, we destroyed the
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hydre static pressure balance and you just squees all the
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actage in pathways right out of theers.
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So the rutes just sufficate. The sufficate and we've the here
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is falling that's so called rescue.
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The root system dice off to case that's in and the tri eventually
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fails anyway. That's so tragic.
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The Real traged of the medadies was it nobody in the Main string
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new anyother way so like how will's do you reached damage
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branch very meeters in the here with that have you machineery.
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Right, which totally sexistage for gary Blackburn showing up in
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the westerwald and just leaving the three tonn trucks part.
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He interduses the English double row climing technic to West
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Germany. What just whiled because of the
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time me be what for. Five people in the entire
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country have the skill to fluidly scale three meters and
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to a kind of be us and just row. It was incredibly rare.
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But logicly and i was wondering this win loting at the sources
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how to the human hold or on bodywate plus a have a chain so
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up in to tree with that doing just us my damage to the burg
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like if i think nylon rope for a branch and just or holing my
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softup. The friction is going to burn it
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transrate in to the what. Oh, I'm solute, and if you do
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that you're a storying the trees vascular system.
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Just from the rope bredding. Yeah because right been the the
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rof outer bark is this incredible stand hilly sensit of
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layer call the cambium the. Cambium.
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Right, it's the living tish you respons will for breduting the
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wood right and it house is the flom and silum.
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With acklic vains right. Exactly the transport sugars and
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water up and down the trunk, so if you use a cors rob and just
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grind it back in fort of a branch, what honyers of up,
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you'll terrorate two the bark and severed that can be in.
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Here so you be so we can't off the nutrian supply to that in
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tire section of the tree you do. We just white Garry brut is
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specific work a out for that's a he you do lies this hilly
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specialized die at alligantly simple ps of gear cold a
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fricion. Saver.
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I's. The soft protective equiped to
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smooth metal rings of bofins gerry with a sand install the
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slave over the anker branch and then he's climing rope.
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We're one exclusively for the smooth metal rings.
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Oh, i get it so the rope never actually touch is the what at
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all. Xacly.
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The Metal rings handle all the Movment and the heat in the
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friction and that super sensitive cambium layer right
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when he's the bark ramans compley untuched.
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Untuched and totly islate. The physical impact on the tree
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is reduce to on the zero. That is brillian.
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Right he was in concring the tree von the outside with the
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diesel lension he was you'dalizing the trees on
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architecture to just navigate the kind of be leave in
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practical no trace of as presents on the bar.
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And completely presering that dolicis soil matrix downbalow
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because there's no truck, but you know geting into the tree
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safly that's really have the battle.
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Because one see was three meters up in the kind of be garry's,
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actual philosophy on what to do with the disease or demetry was
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completely at ots with the error.
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It really was. Because his live moto was
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improvis adaptover.com and his primary go was prerbation.
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But the standard practice back them was off and just to clear
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cut or roding natural monument. Ja, what's Carry fute as a total
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ecological tragity because a meture massive tree provities
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profound off and invisible eco System Services.
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What Kind of Services? What just the sure volume of
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water it move crits and evapo transporation Effekt.
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It signific and the cools the surreunding air on hotdays.
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Oh like natural air condition. It's like it exit an enormes
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irre dynamic Filter trapping irreborn dustopolutions and you
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know it provites a complex irreplacible micro habitat for
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thousens of species of insex von giant Burns.
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I have to ask the pling dovles advicut here if a massive tree
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is visible roding here a village churchure like.
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A play around time to save it sonst of a massive liability
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for. People get right.
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Because a funding branch, that's is deadly what not just cut the
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massive ability down in plant and new much save for seppling
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in it's plays problem soft. We'll because a seppling text a
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centry to provide evan a fraction of this eco system
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services. Right, it's a time is.
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Your exactly the real chance gerry to kind was finding away
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to make the angentry mechanically save.
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Without removing in he at a really understand the physics of
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the tree to releve the structural stress.
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Ok so how do you do that what he is up there?
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Reling on is experience he with secure is main climing rope to a
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sound central branch and then he with strategicly then out the
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trees crown. I'm Kind of stock on the physics
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of that axely if he's standing out the branches.
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He's removing the trees physical waiture, but is an he also
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removing the lees it's to photo symposize and you know feed.
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It's and that's right rer. With a delicate intuit of
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balance because the primary goal of thining the crown is in just
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wait reduction, it's really about aerodynamic drag.
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Aerodynamic Drag, ja. Think of a trees full Dance,
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Kind of Leafs like the sales on a massa ship.
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Ok. When is a vir geal for storm
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hits if a ship as all it sales for lee the plate.
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The win the Catch is all that enorm a surface aria the
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pressure builds exponentialy. And to the master snaps and to
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the load. Exactly so to say the last a
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sailor strikes the sails by selectivaly ramuving specific
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branches in the crown. Gerry is essentialy strike in
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the treesales. Oh well, so he is opening up
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aerodynamic pathways. Yes, Prosit.
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Of the Storm wins slaming in to the solid wall of fuliage and
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transfering all that vinetic energy street down in to a we
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can trunk the win just sweeps harmles we do the.
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Gaps it just. Passes right to the thin
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branches and the pressure on the roding trunk is mass ofly
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redusted. That mic's perfect to mechanical
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sense, the what about branches that are already like
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structually compromise or actively spliting back in the
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day with and they just. Boltom together with have you
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bolt branches to get there's a titly was steel, they can't
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move. Sugarry you're lies flexible
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robes to create what is called a dynamic web a.
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Dynamic web like a seeved you not.
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Sort of he with kinect vangable branches to strongger ons using
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materials that all out for a caculated a man of sway.
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So, the branches can still move in the wind, but the dynamic web
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acces a shock upsorber like catching number for they ben
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farn of to split that. Movement is actually the nose
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critical part of the hol system. Really.
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Because it tree is a living organism that respons to phys.
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Stimula you locker Branch in plays with rigin Steel, the tree
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senses that it no longer needs to support that way.
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Oh because the steel is doing the work.
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X ackly and so it stops building struxeral wood in at your it's
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lazy right, but by a loting the branch to sway naturally with an
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a save limit. The Dynamic Web constantly
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stimilix the tree to build up it on internal Strange.
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That is fasionating it really make you want to do how the
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traditional forestry establishment react to this.
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You know this solitary climer reling on flexible robes and air
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dynamic intuition at what point to the actually science catchup
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to his got instings. Will i convergions have and in a
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very high profile way I'm ninety Seven.
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Oh the Bond Job. Yes, Gary was working on a major
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job at the fidal chancery in Bond.
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With you know was the see of the West german government of.
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Time Hi Steaks. Very Hi Steaks you was suspended
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hiup in the canopy we're can on this incredible fic anction
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trees right on the banks, the rine and what he's up there you
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need to man of the grund who was studing the x xame trees, but
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two the lens of regress by on the kanics.
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Professor. Clasmatic he was an absolut
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luminary in the Field of tree physics.
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You was actually researching how trees structually responded to
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wind in physical lotes. So he was basicly mathematically
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Modeling, we're gerry was just observing intuit.
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Of they exackly. Matrix Research prove the trees
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don't just indoor Stress Passivly they don't go adaptive
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Grove. What is that mean exactly?
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It means of a consit win pushes agast to tree from one direction
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of a long period. The Tree will aktively grow
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extra think that's reaction with on the upside to brasit self
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against that's specific lot. It's the exacting prinzipal as
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lifting waits. Yes like you a plim a canical
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strange to a human musal and the bogs up extra tissue and that's
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a aria to handle the lot better next time.
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The trees constitly remoneling it's on architecture based on
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the strassed feals. It is exactly like that and
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somely you have as incredible meeting of minds by the ryan you
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have gerry the practitioner who intimely understands how the
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with muse and reax and there's so and you have professor mafic
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the scientist with the formulus to prove the biology behind it.
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What a do a right. Gerry absored matics reserch
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mering is practical climing akrobatics with this hard bio
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macantical science. And they phone the life long
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franchip that fundamely allivated gerry's Hall approach.
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What is an amazing validation, but it's one thing to have a
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brillian scientist validate your metins in bone.
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It's an entirely different challenge to scale at metadology
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and you know change a lose of an entire contenet.
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He's undertake. It because by nineteen nine d
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two garry is just twenty your sold and he travels to brusals
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for the anagual meeting of the European arbor cultral consal
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the eac because bevor this. And so the standards to cross
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you up, we're frankly terrifinely unregulated.
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The Industry was essential the wild west back them without
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uniform, safety or biological Standards.
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The met is being use by commerzial tree climers or
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activity destroying the can't be there or hire to main tane and
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the most to great is example, this was the white's red use of
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climing spikes. I're about this in the source is
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you know like have a iron spurs at to there boots?
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Workers with literity kick Shirt, Metal spikes jeep in to
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the trunk using the Miss tempory steps to systematically walk.
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They have the side of the tree. But we just to step lish orlier
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that the cambium layer right when he's the bark is the
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critical paper them vaskular system of the tree driving iron
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spikes into the trunk is systematically to storing that
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system with every single step. If re single step.
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You're punk string halls straight for you the trees only
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armor. You was Bio.
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Of andalism there's no a the word for it bark eval of to key
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pathagance out so every time a climer kick to spike in to the
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trunk, they're going to deep open woned they're really bipest
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as natural defenses. That's just a respie for disies.
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They're carving direkt entry pathway is for invasive one ji
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in aggressive to k so you know we're from my scale it tree you
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to pron the that branch, but by spike in they're condeming the
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main trunk to slowly rot for the inside out.
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Haveing gerry and that, rim and brussels was to be in a massive
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shock to the system for the old gar.
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Oh that it out. Because he it's been here's
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udalizing this smooth metal fiction savers just to protect a
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single millimeter of bark and now he have the bio mechanical
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backing of experts like mafic to prove exackly white metard.
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His presents there was vidal Gerry was in just to the rest
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you know he at a proven economicly viable trag record in
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the westor will. Showing that a gentler
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scientifically sound method actually word in the real world.
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So he have tright the rules. He activity have to co right the
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new rigoris safety and care standards for the eac.
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He translated is deprospekt for the biology of the tree
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intobinding European Regulations.
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It have outlaw this destructive practices and brut arbora
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culture in to the motonage. That's an incredible legacy, but
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we've exploreed the soil mechanics, the air dynamics, the
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polity changes and brusals if you strip all of that a way you
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can't have to look at the underlying motivation like right
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like is a young man dedicate is intira live to fiding for old
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word white band deckates dangling from robes battleing
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chance as and arguing of a regulations.
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But he's all the byomechanics gerry story is really driven by
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aprofund. Um was familial Empathie for the
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trees them selfs he view them not is timber and not is
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liabildies, but as the silent indooring witness is the history
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that just diserved car. And are source as higlight a
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pees of tax. I think captures this emotional
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core perfickly it's a palm ritten by a member of gerrys
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family Robert Gordon Blackburn, It's title the old Oak Tree.
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Is a beautiful peace. It Fokus is on an annion oke
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that's stud for hundred of years.
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And the imagery is incredible ground it in like physical
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evidance in not the hiddenhold deep in the bark, we're a let
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bull it have a beded it so of long a go and at the scrives is
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massive split in the trunk from a violent is Storck Storm.
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But the palm emphasizes that the spite the bullet in the
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francture trunk the tree lift on you're continu to go proud in
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tall, you providered a hiding plays for children and a white
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canity for generations of family pickness.
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And emotional wate of the palm really lands when the engine
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tree is find the kind down. Right the felling is in just
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desribed as a change in the landscaping, it's as the last of
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the tree. He's a hole in the skyrer you's
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just stand oh hole in the sky, it's such a striking image it
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capture's the boy the left and in eco system and in a community
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when you loose something that massive and the imagery of the
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bullet and the split trunk it perficly illustrates the
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physical reality of scars absoluity this trees what a
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violand trum. They carry the physical evidance
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of it in there trunks and they just keep standing to offer
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sulter. And you know the biology behind
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the scars is fastnating because trees you not heal.
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They don't heal. Not the we do when it human is
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cut are souler structure, we generates and replices the
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damage tissue. At tree can not do that.
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I'll really when. It tree is injured by a storm or
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a saw your realize on process callt medalization.
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Compart medalization ok. Rapidly dills complex chemical
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and physical banders are on the won to perminaly seal off that
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ok. So one's the trumas wallt off
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internally the tri, simply generates new have the what out
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and of the top of the scar. So it literally absorbes the
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truma into as architecture and just people's growing out we're.
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Exactly it is a standing display of biological resolians and that
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is the exact resolians gerry racking nice when at town cancel
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just saw or riding liability that need to be filled gerry son
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instant survivor compart manalizing it's.
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Just needing some structure relief to keep standing.
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And i think the most compelling part of gerry story is that his
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dedication didnt just save the specific tries in the nineteen
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edies he a stalish a legacy that is actively managing that kind
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of p today. He'ally that.
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He state in the westorwald than a lot of the deed for is there
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and found it is on company westorwald there bam dienst
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which is down on as bam dienst sebing a birge.
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At evalved and to this highly specialized family business.
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A business that is now run by as for sons.
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Kevin, Alex, Luke and William they if complately taking of the
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mantal. That's amasing.
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The end of and rigoris are borecal Training a cross
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inglined in Germany and the evenitined specialize seminars
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run by the very same professor closmathic that there's father
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befriend it on the bank of the Ryan all do's you's a go.
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It's for mark a think about the physical reality of that.
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You have gerry sons udalizing matics advance biomechanical
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science climing hi up and to be sexame kind of he's they're
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father manualy save deckates ralier.
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They're carently maintaning instant beaches and oaks that
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we're originally planet for they're clients.
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Grand parents. It's like this continuous
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unbrokan Shane of Stewardship happening three meeters in here.
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It perfitly in campolate's the paradime shift, and we we're
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going from a solatory pioneer interducing a handful of robes
19:08
to a lokal family bushing the Biological survival of the kind
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ofy for the excentriy. We started of the deep dive
19:15
instinct to just conquer a problem with fton excabiters
19:20
crus. In the soil and sufficating the
19:22
roots just to reach a bridge and we've see in how one man's
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philosophy of improvising and adapting kindlely reroad that
19:29
approach replacing the war of have you machineery with the
19:33
quiet präcision of a fuction saver.
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Because buy understanding the air dynamics of a canopy and the
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delicate biology of the camby am layer he show that partnering
19:43
with nature is all we's more effective in flighting it.
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Absolute. And as we rap up, there's one
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thot a really one it a take with you the next some you go for a
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walk in a park or just for your nabor hit and you spot a massive
19:56
norald tree one with fick twisting bark and deep visible
20:00
scars pos and like plus the adit.
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No just the detail, ja. Like and how a compartmentalist,
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it's rooms. Asters of what he's Store
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kowling storms it must of webber to build up that reaction with
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and consiter the invisible generational web of human pare.
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The climer's working quietly three meters up in the branches
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that my be the only reson that magnifice and jin as still
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standing there for you do and joited.
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That it's a grate reminder to a kloser, the invisible biology
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systeming the world randas kee questioning and stakeries.
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We's See in Extime.