Featured Serial {pt 1-3} | Farewell, Sequoia, a poem by CS DeWitt

Photo by Josh Carter on Unsplash

Out of the darkness, a single point of light. Through the air it seems to blink, though the light itself is steady. Of course, at the moment it’s perceived this light could be ancient. The body, the source of this light, could be long gone and the light will remain. All that’s left. But it’s something.

///// Out of the sky, a single seed. On the ground it waits. Rain. Sun. Tiny roots break thin walls. Grasp soil. Hang on. Break through. Sun. Rain. Snow. Onward and upward, year in year out. Roots fan out, soaking nutrients. Out of the shadows, push through. Needles extend, light turns to food. Towering, at once part of the floor and sky. Year in, year out.

Each branch, one among thousands, holds dozens of green and puckered cones, tessellations cradling the future. When wildfires rage far below, warm air rises, dries the cones, contracts the fibers and releases seeds to the fertile ground below, newly freed of shade-giving brush and scrub. Seeds, seedlings, sequoias, and on and on for millennia.

Rain, just enough. Snow, just enough. Fire, just enough. Squirrels, ants, beetles, just enough. Sun, clouds, fog, just enough. Ten, fifteen, eight hundred, three thousand years. Onward and upward.

But what does time matter to a tree?

Nothing until it’s clearly running out.

Something is changing. And we gotta get out of here. Spread the word.

///// June 16, 2019 Email to Sec. of Interior David Bernhardt from Dr. Kathryn Wallace, University of California at Berkeley.

Dear Mr. Secretary:

Hope you’re doing well, Dr. Wallace here, from Berkeley. We met briefly last year after the Camp Fire. How’s Gena? I wanted to alert you to an emerging discovery made by my lab. As you may know I’ve been studying the Sequoias in Kings Canyon NP for decades. Measuring, sampling, cataloguing. A few years ago I noticed something weird, and I didn’t know what to do with it. I noticed the potassium levels in the soil were high. 5-7 times the normal levels. As you know potassium in these concentrations is very unusual. We now have years of samples and, though I couldn’t believe it at first, my colleagues and I are now quite sure. As the potassium in the soil mixes with the sugars naturally produced by the trees during photosynthesis, the trees are becoming increasingly volatile. I wanted to alert you formally before publishing our forthcoming report (draft attached for your reference) so your office can begin mitigation and emergency planning as soon as possible. Thanks for appreciating the gravity and unprecedented nature of this situation.

Dr. Kathryn Wallace Associate Professor UC-Berkeley ////////////

September 3, 2019 Email to NPR correspondent Will Ballard

Hey Will–

I hope you’re well! Dr. Wallace here from Berkeley, we met when you were covering the camp fire last year. I know it’s a crazy time because of all these hurricanes (stay safe!), but I’ve got some news about the Sequoias in the No. Co. that I think you’d be interested in. Give me a call.

Cheers, Dr. K ///////////////////

September 19, 2019 Email to Dr. Kathryn Wallace

Dear Dr. Kathryn Wallace,

Thank you for your submission to the Journal of Applied Forestry. We regret to inform you that your paper, “It’s Gonna Blow: Potassium and Sugars Signal Sequoia Scare,” has not been selected for publication. We look forward to reviewing your work in the future.

Sincerely, JAF Review Committee /////// September 23, 2019 Email from Will Ballard to Dr. Kathryn Wallace Hey Dr. K,

Sorry for the delay. Been covering the Miami refugee situation. Water isn’t receding so FEMA moving 2mill north. Wild. Looks like Atlanta will take the majority of the displaced. But now Houston is due for a Cat 5 so who knows.

So what’s the thing with the trees?

WB //////// October 1, 2019 Weather Channel Breaking News Report

“…As you can see, this is the path we expected as of this morning, but this is an incredibly fast- moving and powerful storm in very dynamic conditions, so it looks like our forecast has changed. Instead of cutting west and making landfall southwest of Houston as expected, Hurricane Waldo has shifted east and is now expected to make a direct hit on New Orleans. All residents are being evacuated as we speak, if you are in or around south Louisiana, get out now. Obvious echoes of Katrina in 2005, as the city braces for a cataclysm …” /////// October 2, 2019 Rose Garden Address by President Donald J. Trump

“Today we come together as a nation in mourning. Because of the callous acts of the Democratic Party, who have systematically blocked our efforts to Make America Great Again, we are experiencing the worst natural disaster this country has ever seen. After Hurricane Victoria hit Miami, my administration has worked tirelessly to transport families to safety. We have all been affected. Mar-a-Lago is underwater. “And today we learn that the largest hurricane ever to hit these shores has made landfall in the state of Louisiana, leaving half a million displaced, levees and bridges are washed away. Just horrible. Biggest disaster. I have instructed FEMA to address this emergency and they’re doing a great job. Thank you.”

“Sir! Mr President! Where is the administration housing the displaced from Miami and New Orleans?”

“Yes, thank you, we’re very prepared.”

“Mr. President how will FEMA address this crisis?”

“FEMA is the greatest it’s ever been. A Trump FEMA is the best FEMA. Thank you.”///////

December 4, 2019 Email from Executive Assistant to the Sec. of Interior to Dr. Kathryn Wallace

Ms. Wallace:

Thank you for your interest in the important work of the Dept. of the Interior. The Secretary appreciates your kind words and prayers.

Keeping America Great,

David Bernhardt DB: Exec. Assistant, Rose-Ann Long

/////////// April 28, 2067

“Hey, yeah, it’s me. Just found something in mom’s old stuff. Bunch of files from the Berkeley days. Give me a call when you can. By the way, my interview’s on– I’ll record it for you.”

Alexa, TV– record.

“‘… thanks for being here, Dr. Wallace. In your estimation, how did we get here and how can we solve the ongoing refugee crisis in this nation?’

“‘Well I’m no policy maker. What do you do with millions of displaced people? I’m just a scientist, right, but I think the fact of the matter is we were wildly unprepared for this kind of thing 50 years ago, and we’re wildly unprepared for it now. Listen, since around 2020 or so, you can’t live on the ground in southern Florida, you need to live on a boat. I’m old enough to remember a time when that wasn’t normal, ok? Houston, Texas– no one ever remembers Houston– 50 years ago Houston was the 4th largest city in America, the state of Texas would’ve been the 5th largest economy in the world. Generations of inaction by our lawmakers later and now, what, a few thousand people live there? Water so contaminated by chemicals it routinely catches on fire? And this is just life now. Smoke so thick from San Francisco to Seattle you can’t breathe without a gas mask. A couple generations ago there were rain forests between San Francisco and Seattle. I’d say we need to wake up, but my grandparents were saying this at the turn of the century, so maybe this is just what we get. Tent cities, ruined economy–’

Incoming call–

“Hey, babe.”

“Hey Denny– how’d it go?”

“Um, good!” //////

It’s Gonna Blow: Potassium and Sugars Signal Sequoia Scare Authors: M. F. Crocodoro, Cyrus P. Dunwitty, Kathryn S. Wallace First published: November 21, 2019, Journal of Experimental Biology

Abstract: The culmination of three decades of careful study, this paper offers an analysis of the composition, causation, and implications of dramatically increased potassium levels in the soil of Kings Canyon National Park. Naturally occurring in all healthy soils, a dense concentration of potassium can interact with other elements and molecules, disrupting the ecosystem’s natural balance. Analysis reveals that increased potassium in the soil is promoting the formation of potassium nitrate (KNO3) compounds, which is mixing with photosynthetic byproducts at the cellular level of Giant Sequoia trees (Sequoiadendron giganteum). Under the right conditions, this combination can form the highly volatile hydroxymethylfurfural compound. This paper concludes the world’s oldest living tree species is slowly turning into a rocket. //////

September 12, 2068 Congressional Subcommittee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Official transcript of testimony by Dr. Dennis Wallace, Director, National Institute of Climate Research

“Dr. Wallace, do you know why you’ve been called today?”

“Chair Douglas, yes I do, and thank you for inviting my testimony today. If you don’t mind, I’ll go ahead and get into my prepared remarks and then I’m happy to take questions.”

“Yes, that’d be fine.”

“Thank you, Chair Douglas, Ranking Member Peterson, and other members of the Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Subcommittee.

There’s an innate desire of all living things to preserve future generations’ ability to thrive. This is not unique to humans.

Some among this body might remember salmon.

Salmon, a type of fish which at one point were plentiful in waters in the Pacific Northwest, would swim upstream for miles to lay their eggs before dying of exhaustion in the upstream shallows. We certainly can’t know now, and maybe we’d never know, but I can imagine that these fish might’ve said, “My life is nearing its conclusion; now I must ensure a healthy future for my offspring. Downstream is full of dangers, but I know there is someplace safe I need to get to. I know I can’t stay here. I know there’s someplace safe. Someplace my offspring can thrive. I know.”

I know. What does it mean to know? We know the lights are on, we see them. We know I took a car here, I experienced it. And I know my kids love me. It’s a feeling. Deep and ancient. Can’t show it to you, but it’s the water I swim in, the air I breathe. I know.

When my mother and her team performed the studies detailed in the paper in question, she was a young PhD with a deep love of an endangered ecosystem. Nearly 50 years ago, as our nation was just coming around to the realities we are experiencing today, found evidence of a deep knowledge from a being we didn’t think had such knowledge. The report before you was not given attention at the time. Our ancestors, historians tell us, were not prepared to understand what we know now were clear warnings. They couldn’t understand the signs. They couldn’t understand science. Distracted and reactive, our foremothers didn’t see this clear warning and instead laid the bed we’re all lying in now.

So here we are. At a time when we can’t afford to deny what’s clearly in front of us, with an unprecedented crisis enveloping every corner of our country and indeed the globe. Using my mother’s data and updating it with modern tools and understanding, my team and I have been able to not only to validate my mother’s findings but fill in gaps of understanding. We know the report’s findings are true. I personally know, though I can’t prove, that the purpose of this ecological shift is to preserve the ability to thrive for future generations of the species. These trees, just like the salmon of the past, know their time on this planet is coming to an end. So they have been preparing their own migration.

I don’t know where and I don’t know when. But I’m here today to implore our lawmakers to finally pay attention. To, for a change, become proactive. Read the signs. Learn from them. Preserve the ability to thrive for our own offspring. Our planet is inexorably becoming uninhabitable. It pains me to say we are doomed. But your children, my children, our species could be preserved.

Thank you for your time and attention, and I look forward to your questions.”

“Thank you, Dr. Wallace. The Chair now recognizes the Member of Congress from Colorado for 5 minutes.”

“Thank you, Chair, and thank you, Dr. Wallace for your passion. But you know, frankly Chair, I can’t for the life of me figure why we’re having this discussion right now. We have major cities underwater. The Pacific Northwest is on fire. We have the Midwest, at one point the nation’s breadbasket, underwater year-round. We have major rivers cresting their banks in some parts of the country and we have dried up reservoirs in others. And that’s just within our borders. Let’s talk about what’s going on around the globe, and I’m not even talking about the extinction events we’ve witnessed in our lifetimes. I’m talking about Thwaites, which a generation ago was absolutely unknown– nobody knew about it, it wasn’t a thing— now it’s all anyone can talk about as beachfront property moves inland across the world. It affects us all. And because of all this, most importantly, we’ve got by some estimates 8 million people, call them refugees if you want, but there’s 8 million of them, human beings, not– and I can’t emphasize this enough– trees– they’re people, and our nation’s response is to put them in tents? In the desert? Oh it’s temporary, we were told. By previous administrations. But now it’s been a generation plus and the tents are still there and the people are still there and the temperature is 120 degrees in the middle of winter and there’s no water and people are dying and forgive me Dr. Wallace but I don’t give a good goddam about your mother’s exploding trees.

“The trees may turn to solid gold, they may turn to dust, they may turn to rockets– they may turn to whatever they wish, and I would not give one iota of a fuck, pardon my language. But I sincerely hope we end this nonsense and do our jobs and stop talking about bottle rocket trees.

“I yield the balance of my time to my colleague from Missouri who wishes to give a brief update on the floodwaters in Kansas City.” ////////////

“The Chair recognizes the Member of Congress from Texas.”

“Mr. Chair, colleagues, I appreciate our guest’s testimony here today, but I must say this is a rare case in which I find myself in agreement with the MC from Colorado. I too wish this body

would spend less of its time on bottle rocket trees, as my friend so aptly puts it, and more time on the growing threat to the north.

“Year-round arctic passage has been a reality for decades, obviously, but I tell you that all of us, those in Displacement Communities or elsewhere, all of us will be toast if we continue to let our Russian friends run roughshod over this territory. We must learn to once again walk, chew gum, and wage war at the same time!”

/////////// Out of the sky, thunderheads form, enveloping the forest canopy. The electric air crackles, coalesces, sparks. Lightning strikes the tallest crown— stalk, stem, cells ignite, spreading flame through connected roots as the forest floor churns and erupts with a violent convulsing, soil roiling as pressure builds and launches massive, ancient obelisks skyward. Thousands of branches, each carrying dozens of puckered cones, tessellated cradles, the future of the species, lift off, steady and unwavering.

Into the sky, dozens of points of light. The bodies, the source of this light, will be long gone and the light, as perceived from those left behind, will remain.

All that’s left. But at least it’s something. ########