Page 44 - 2016-10

“will” their nutrients away when they die, or Sitting in my yard, gazing at the oaks and
“warn” other trees of impending danger. If a firs near my house, I used to think the most
pine dies of natural causes (rot, beetles, etc.) successful trees grew tall because they had the
it will sometimes flush its nutrients into the best position; the most light, access to water,
mycorrhizal network, where the fungus shares good elevation. I thought trees grew for the same
its bounty with the nearby trees. These trees, reason successful restaurants grow; location,
with their largess, will use the excess nutrients location, location. I believed less competition
to fortify themselves against the coming danger. from other trees and better soil determined the
And the biggest recipient of this dying wealth? strength of the plant. Boy, was I wrong.
Young trees. The fungus will send huge amounts
of nutrients to the newest trees in the network— Like all good Toastmasters already know,
who will be better equipped to deal with the success is more about the strength of your
changing environment. network than a slight resource advantage. We
don’t grow strong by being isolated, standing

alone in a field absorbing the
benefits that befall us. Like
people, the strongest, hardiest,
mightiest trees are in the middle
of the network, sharing the
wealth with all of its neighbors.

Joe Anthony joined Toastmasters
in 2014. He is currently serving as
club president for two clubs, Liberty
Talkers and Storymasters. He is
the 2016-17 Division H Director.
Outside of Toastmasters Joe is an
award-winning science fiction
author and blogger. In his quiet
times, he is an avid, eclectic reader.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=459872

In nature we never see anything isolated, but everything in connection with
something else which is before it, beside it, under it and over it.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

44 Volume 3 Issue 4 - OCTOBER 2016