Oaks

Have you ever planned 150 years ahead? In Sweden they have. In the middle of Vättern, Sweden’s second largest lake, is an oak-forested island called Visingsö. In 1870, the Swedish Crown planted 300,000 trees on the island, which it expected to harvest 150 years later for its ship building industry. Of course, by that time, wooden ships had all but disappeared. We can’t stop the world from changing. Still, I admire their long-term thinking. The forest can still be harvested for timber, although I hope it will be saved as a regenerated ecosystem for eco-tourism, carbon sequestration and wildlife.

— Wayne Visser

From Purpose Inspired: Reflections on Conscious Living, Volume 5. Buy on Lulu ↗