09
Treecology

Treecology arose from the question of how we collectively can add an annual growth ring for the future to the cultural-historical identity of a city park. At the invitation of Witte Rook, de Onkruidenier got to know Breda’s Wilhelmina Park and its many inhabitants: from the weeping beech and the catalpa near the pond to the yew and the Japanese maple, to name just a few of the unusual and sometimes already very old trees. This park was designed in the late 19th century by landscape architect Leonard A. Springer. It recently celebrated its 125th anniversary. Some trees already reside in the park for 125 years. They are living timelines that entangle us to the ecology of the past. Though parks are continuously being renovated, often the cultural-historical values and original vision of the landscape architect are prioritized. In Breda, for instance, Springer’s original vision and sightlines are being reintroduced and brought back to the original state. But how does this renovation relate to the well being of the tree community and the ecological urgencies or our time?  The trees in Wilhelminapark taught us to question this and to recalibrate the values of the park. Referring to: ‘Hereiken’ in Dutch:

Hereiken workw. Pronunciation: [‘hɛrɛikə(n)]

Redefining what standards something should meet, weightily including the perspective of trees and other organisms.

What does Springer’s landscape style mean in this day and age and with today’s knowledge of ecology? If we want to preserve an urban landscape for the future, what ecological sensing, thinking and action do we need now? How do we protect not only scenic, human sightlines as a preserved cityscape, but especially those of the oaks, grasses, water and soil life completely invisible to us. Besides horizontal sightlines, it is vertical sightlines that open our senses to the trees. From the trees, we see the sightlines that point to the soil the tree needs, the water that nourishes it, the insects that live in and around the bark, the root networks and fungi they communicate with, and the plant families that grow around them. From a line of sight, we branch into a web of relationships and see the ecology intertwined with the trees: Treecology.