Training with the Master- Experiences with Taika Seiyu Oyata

Signed Magazine article about Taika Oyata and his painful art. I love this picture, it's hard to fake real pain and completely unnecessary when training with Taika.

I am still training, I work out every day!

I started training in Ryukyu Kempo in 1986.

My first instructors were Greg Lindquist and Mike Whitney, out of their school in Overland Park, Kansas.

I caught the fever and never looked back. The mind and body numbing exercises, katas, kicks, punches, bag work, suburito drills(wooden sword), tuite-grappling, throws/pins, full contact fighting, weapons training and of course the kyusho-vital point striking. It was all incredibly new, excruciatingly painful ,very cool and highly addictive.

It all started for me  with an advertisement  for a martial arts tournament and demonstration.

A friend invited me to come see what he called "real Okinawan Karate" and a martial arts master demonstrating his techniques.

I had previously trained in Shotokan karate and had some Ju-jitsu and Judo training.

None of what I had seen or done previously prepared me for that fateful day.

*Rare ad for  Master Oyata seminar-thanks to Greg Lindquist for this copy

I arrived to the demonstration in Independence, Missouri. The auditorium was packed, easily 200 people or more. I watched the competitions, katas and fighting. The full contact fighting, called Bogu Kumite, is another always painful reminder that no matter how good you are, there is somebody that hits harder, kicks harder, is faster or just meaner than you. What a wonderful, life affirming moment Bogu fighting is. Head and teeth jarring punches, kicks to all areas, arm strikes, elbows, sweeps-you get the picture.

Midway through the tournament, they announced the demonstration would begin.

The began to lay down large, thick mats on the gym floor.

A short, very powerfully built man stood in the center. He was introduced as Master Oyata and began to talk through an interpreter about his art.. He explained that real martial arts are not a trick or like the movies. It takes a lifetime to attain mastery of an art and it was important to have strong basic techniques and never stop training. He explained that in Okinawa, martial artists were held in high regard, most were of good, strong character. Helping their communities, the hidden protectors of the people'

 He also explained more about his art: Tuite Jitsu- wrist and arm grappling, severely painful control and submission holds.

Kyusho Jitsu- Devastating nerve and pressure point strikes. He also went into a lot of detail about the meaning of the the word Jitsu- it means mystery or puzzle, an enigma or riddle that is either difficult or nearly impossible to solve.

At this point, he called out several people to the mats. He then began to tell his students/guinea pigs-

"Go ahead, punchee, kickee, doesn't matter "

 The first man up towered over Mr. Oyata, he threw a wild punch that was stopped with a quick strike, he was hit in the neck 1/2 second later and crumpled to the ground in a heap.

The next instructor tried to do a spinning kick, Mr. Oyata quickly kicked the leg he was standing on out from under him, it was brutally efficient.

The techniques continued- he was knocking people out with neck strikes, wrapping people up in tuite/grappling and sending them screaming to the ground-it was awesome!

I had never imagined somebody was this skilled, he really was a Master!

Mr. Oyata then switched to weapons- he fought with a 6 foot staff, sai, jo and tonbo.

The best was for last- his cane technique. How deceptive an ordinary cane is! In the right hands, you can hook peoples arms, sweep their legs,hook their legs,  hook their necks, shoulders, pin them on the ground and strike any number of ways. I was completely mesmerized by his mastery.

*The caption of this newspaper article says it all-I am  lucky to have been his student!

Now comes the funny part. I waited until the end of the tournament/seminar and asked a few of the instructors if I could meet Mr. Oyata. They looked at me like I was crazy and said sure, he's around the corner smoking a cigarette. I walked out the door and there he was! I nervously introduced myself and thanked him for the demonstration. I told him how great he was, and I told him I wanted to train with him. He laughed at me!

His exact words were-"I don't think so"

He bluntly told me no,he did not know me, I was not good enough and would have to get a black belt in his system and then be invited for personal instruction, then maybe I could train with him.

He also told me-"you want to learn my karate, I kick ass" -Truer words have never been spoken.

I made my mind up right then, if it took 10 years, I would train in his system and eventually I could train with him-He was  the only real martial arts master I had ever seen or met  . There are a lot of posers and charlatans out there, none of whom were/are fit to shine Mr. Oyatas shoes.

*Mr Oyata also had no idea what a persistent, stubborn s.o.b. I am.

Because Mr. Oyata's Headquarters was based locally, I was able to attend seminars with him  and actually tested for my Green Belt, and  3 degrees of Brown Belt in front of him.

You want to talk intimidating? You want some pressure in your life? Stand in front of a martial arts master, showing him your forms/technique while he is staring at you, unmoving, possibly unimpressed, 3 feet away.

You want more even more pressure? Test for Black Belt in front of Taika Seiyu Oyata, Albert Giraldi, Jim Logue, Steve Stark, Greg Lindquist and all the top instructors from around the country.

I trained with Mr Oyata at his Headquarterson on a bi-weekly basis for several years, then we all switched to weekly classes as his travels/seminars increased. 

I trained hard and listened carefully to his instruction.

I wrote everything down!

I have several notebooks full of diagrams, techniques, excercises,

ideas about tuite, kyusho, kumiwaza and much, much more!

Enough for a book?

*Here is a photo of my ShodanCertificate-1st Degree Black Belt

This is a blurry shot of my Yondan Certificate-4th Degree Black Belt

I am not overly concerned with Black Belt ranking. I have 2 scrolls from Taika Oyata in his family art- Oyata Shin Shu Ho Ryu. I'm not going to photograph them or reveal what rank comes with them. Other than my wife and son, they are my most treasured possessions, because they were given to me by Mr. Oyata and because of  what they represent: 

I have always held my teacher and his art in the highest regard.

Oyata Shin Shu Ho Ryu-

"Strive to attain true moral goodness and express it through one's every action":

Useful Pain and Quotes from the Master

I feel compelled to share just a little more information and a few stories/anecdotes about my teacher,
Taika Seiyu Oyata. I believe he was one of the best  martial artists on the Earth, but I am a little biased.
 You have to understand that Taika was truly great-He was a proud man, proud of his heritage and proud of his martial arts-He was willing to perform techniques on anybody/anytime!
If you didn't believe him, he would show you!


Pictured below, taking one for the team at a seminar is Mike Cline. Mike  is a large, strong man and an excellent martial artist himself. We were all dust in the wind, clay in the hands of the Master. It did not matter how fast, strong, tricky or cool you were-you were going to the ground in an instant, usually yelling in pain!
This technique is the Okinawan version of the body slam, with a side strike. I remember this day/moment and this technique vividly. It was quick and devastatingly painful, like everything Taika did.
As much as I hate to say it, the truth is I was glad it was Mike and not me. He truly got jacked up!

I believe pain can be useful in some instances. It certainly reminds us we are still alive, there is an existential quality to extreme pain-you are really living and feeling life at that moment!
 It can also be used as a training aid  by a Master to keep  martial artists in line.




I have a signed copy of this issue-A blast from the past. Taika Oyata on the cover of Black Belt
magazine, inflicting extreme pain on  black belt Rocky Leavitt.These were never staged, probably one of several takes for the perfect shot-Ouch.
 Taika Oyata appears to be almost smiling-why not? It was his job and no one was better at it.

Found this on YOUTUBE-I was never one for recording things, I was more interested in hands on training.
This is a short video of Taika Oyata doing neck strikes on black belt Peter Polander. For some reason,
Taika Oyata did a lot of  techniques on Peter Polander. Peter is an excellent martial artist and has a high tolerance for pain.

 

Taika Seiyu Oyata has a large, loyal following. This picture could barely fit the group that came to train and celebrate his 60 years in the martial arts. I am seated in front of him at a direct angle to his shoulder-

The reason I am telling you this is  that he told me to sit there- he wanted to know where I was and what I was doing.Strangely enough, people sometimes feel I might be up to something. Seated behind me is my instructor/ senior black belt Greg Lindquist. There are some wonderful people and some absolutely dedicated martial artists in this photo.

Now for the lighter side of things-Our teacher did have a great sense of humor. He was a pretty funny
guy when we weren't training. He also had some famous phrases we got to hear over and over again.
I would like to share some of these quotes and my rough translation/understanding of them:

"GODDAMMIT"-this plays on a never ending reel in my head-no interpretation necessary.
I hear this in my sleep to this day or especially when I am training.

"Why  no can get up"?-After he knocked you out, or threw you down or while he had you pinned, writhing in pain. He was politely asking why you could not get to your feet in the usual fashion, usually with a grin. It was always a lot funnier when it was happening to someone else.

" I no baloney teach"-You asked for it, you got it, hard and physical training,  involving pain of some sort.
"I kick ass"-somebody was in trouble, said something , did or didn't do something. Sometimes he was joking, but if he was serious-look out- Asses would be kicked!

"doodle movement"-little movement, subtle motion.
"I tell now"-shut up and listen-he was going to hit you with some knowledge.
"You want easy teach, I no easy teach"-no explanation necessary.
"Arms no hurt, feet on floor"-Somebody made the mistake of saying their arms hurt during training, our penance for this crybaby was 1,000 punches and 1,000 kicks or something similar.

Not!No!-both meant the same thing, you were not doing it right or not answering him correctly.

"How did it"?-He wanted you to tell him how he did something, for the record-nobody was ever right.
I privately referred to this mental torture/game as "You Can't Win", nothing I said was right, even when I was right I was not phrasing my answer correctly or using the correct terminology. I still
was wrong yet continued playing for many years.


For anybody interested in his life, his personal thoughts, philosophy and views on martial arts,
Taika Oyata wrote an amazing book:Ryu-Te no Michi-The Way of Ryukyu Hands.
I highly encourage anybody interested in martial arts, history or the story of a truly unique human
being to look for this book online.

Lessons from the Master

Here I go again. My Tree Truth blog isn't always going to be about trees.
Occasionally I have a story to tell-This is one of those times.

I consider myself lucky enough to have crossed paths with Taika Seiyu Oyata.
He was the most technically skilled martial artist I have ever seen. I was able to
experience his extremely painful techniques on a weekly basis for many years.
He was also a man of great vision and incredible earthy wisdom. He was hard on people,
tough but fair. I met him at a time in my life I needed some guidance and although I do not
necessarily believe in Fate, things sometimes  happen in life that make me wonder.
There is a famous saying in martial arts-"When the student is ready, the master will appear"
I will always be grateful for the training I received and for the life lessons he shared.

1990 Black Belt Test-Brad and Seiyu Oyata

One funny story-I swear on a stack of bibles this is true!
I was a brown belt, training hard and working towards my black belt test.
In the good old days, it took a minimum of 5 years to achieve a black belt.
I was invited to come train at headquarters in Independence, Missouri with the other black belts
and instructors. This was quite an honor, a chance to prove myself!
The first night was brutal-we trained for 2 hours, basically non-stop. Most of the night,
Taika Oyata stood 2 feet away from me, staring at me with his arms crossed, not saying anything.
He took a quick break from watching  me to kick one of his black belts in the thigh, the black belt collapsed and stayed on the ground holding his leg for several minutes. Mr Oyata said to him" I tell you lower stance, you no do-I no tell again".
 I instinctively lowered my stance and continued training, sweat now pouring off of me! He came back and stood in front of me, now smoking a cigarette.
I was waiting any minute for a neck chop or thigh/groin kick-it never came.
As he was walking away, watching other black belts, his back was to me, I wondered for a brief instant if I could sneak up behind him and kick him! (yes I am that ornery and was that stupid)
The instant I though about it, as God is my witness, he sensed my intent. He whirled around to
face me, his dark eyes boring into mine! To this day, I have no idea how he knew, but he knew what I
was thinking. He quickly walked over and now stood 1 foot away from me- glaring at me. I was close to pissing my pants! He stood in front of me until class was over. At the end of class, he called my instructor, Greg Lindquist over and said-"Greggy, this your student", Greg said I was his student.
Mr. Oyata said-"Something funny about him,(he was correct) but I think he black belt material, kata,technique o.k."
Hell yes! A man could go to his grave with less praise than that!
I learned a valuable lesson that night -The  true master senses intent!



Some interesting anecdotes involving pain-
Just so we are clear, I always thought Taika Oyata was slightly more than human.
He was always 2-3 moves ahead of whatever his opponent was doing.
I watched him drop (knockout) a guy that was 6 feet, 7 inches tall and weighed 325 pound by hitting him in the neck with his fingertips.
 I saw him punch someone in the stomach so hard and so fast, the poor guy's feet
shot out 3 feet in the air behind him, he was out cold when he hit the floor.
During a demonstration, I punched as hard and fast as I could at him-He grabbed my arm and twisted
it so hard and fast, I did a flip in mid-air, screaming as I flipped. It felt like I was caught in a carnival ride and my arm was being ripped apart. When I came to, he was laughing and said "Good job!"
One of my friends said-"that was awesome, I didn't know you could do a flip" I replied that I
did not know I could do a flip either, my body responded to keep my arm from snapping.
Or the time he hit me so hard in the jaw I was cross-eyed for a little while,  also causing my eyes to bleed/ broken blood vessels in my eyes-Good times!
I could tell you about the time he broke a thick board with his thumb!
There are a million stories about his technique and they are all true.

Taika Oyata and Brad in Okinawa 2002

I have a never ending reel of him in my head yelling "Godammit"  or him telling us
"you guys not human beings, human beings can do what I teach" .
He used to mutter "Teppo mimi". I learned it means rifle ear (in one ear, out the other). 
Or him chasing us in a cab while in  Okinawa, flipping us off from the backseat of a taxi, wearing his cowboy hat,laughing as the taxi peeled out after running us off the road.More Good times!
I have a lot more stories about my teacher and they are all true.
Taika Seiyu Oyata is no longer with us, but his teachings and wisdom remain.
It might just be wishful thinking, but there are times when I am training intensely, I feel like he is watching, either waiting to punch me, yell Goddammit or God Forbid-tell me what he only told me twice-You're pretty good.
A man could go to his grave with less praise than that!

The Cedars of God and the Tree of Life

I am not going completely biblical on you, these are some interesting tree stories and pictures.
As you probably know, I have an intense interest, some would say a gravitation towards historic or unusual trees.

The Cedars of God-
The name for a group of 400 ancient survivors, remnants of a forest that once covered mountainous
Northern Lebanon.

This old growth Cedar of Lebanon forest is all that remains of a massive forest that was plundered throughout early history. Cedars of Lebanon were prized for their wood/grain. The ancient Egyptians used them for ships, as did the Phoenicians. The wood was also prized by the Assyrians, Babylonians, and Persians. King Solomon used these trees for construction of the First Temple in Jerusalem.
Luckily, they are now protected, named a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Several of these historic Cedars are 2,000 to 3,000 years old.



The Tree of Life-
This is an interesting photo, a tree growing in the middle of the desert, growing where nothing else can or wants to! This picture reminds me of Summer in Kansas, or a tree growing on the planet Mars.

This Mesquite tree is believed to be at least 500 years old. Growing in the middle of a desert in
Bahrain that is devoid of all other  trees for hundreds of miles.
There is no rational reason for this tree to be so massive or to be able to support itself in this harsh environment.The only explanation is that the roots have found a water source that no one else can seem to find.
The legend of this tree, believed to be true by many in the region, is that this massive, old Mesquite tree marks the  location of the Garden of Eden.

Mantis Mania- A Tale of Sex and Horror in the Insect World

 Generally sex in a headline get's peoples attention, we will get to that horror story soon enough, but
first, a touching photo of my insectoid assassins, my young protege's , my little minions of destruction.

Trying to get young praying mantis to pose for a group photo is like herding cats.
As photogenic as the mantis are, they move incredibly fast, even at this tender young age.
I am nurturing and encouraging these young varmints,whispering softly to them they will soon taste of victory, will crush their enemies on the field of battle. Of course I have named several of them-Socrates, Leonidas, Achilles, Hannibal, Alexander..etc.Each of these young insects is a masterpiece of Nature.
When you watch them, study their movements and behavior, you realize what spectacular
creatures they really are.

In China, there are two systems of martial arts created from watching the attack and fighting
motions/strategies of the praying mantis. Southern and Northern Praying Mantis Kung Fu are
both very popular and effective fighting forms in China.

Praying Mantis can turn their heads and  look quizzically over their shoulders.
Their two forelegs are covered in spikes in which prey are caught and trapped.
They are fast now, when they get a little older, they will move so fast when catching prey, their
movement is a blur. They will be 2 times faster than a fly.
They make great pets, if handled properly and frequently, they won't bite.

There are 20 species of native mantis in the United States.
When young, they will eat each other if not fed properly, but prefer small flies, mites and small crickets.
When mature, they will eat flies, beetles, crickets-any other insect. Believe it or not, they will also eat
frogs, lizards, snakes, birds, fish and small scorpions.


Depending on your outlook or sex, here is where it gets interesting or horrifying.
Females are usually quite a bit larger than males and can be very aggressive (really? that's weird)
When mating, with the male in a dominant position, the females will often turn and bite the males head off
and then feed on his body.(Hmmm.......)
Other times they will do this after mating(Men-does this sound familiar?) According to scientists -
the most dangerous point in mating for the males is when they dismount, they are at their most vulnerable
to attack by the females(this does sound familiar)
And here's the kicker-the males seem to be o.k. with this. Other males that observe this behavior do not seem to be bothered or deterred from mating nearby.(Yes, we are that dim-witted)
It figures-males of all species may be the stupidest beings of all times when it comes to sex.
"Oh, you're going to bite my head off afterwards, o.k.", or " I might be killed after this? sounds good to me"!
Yes, like lemmings marching to the sea, males seem genetically programmed to accepting this sort of fate.

*Evidently this  male doesn't mind being eaten by the female after coitus or if he does, nobody can hear him complaining. Strangely enough, Scientists have also been unable to hear the mantis females complaining before or after sex.

And honestly, Mantis and Man alike, we can't help ourselves- If God made anything more beautiful, sexy and mysterious than a female, he kept it to himself.
A note of caution for Men- If your female turns her head around to look at you at a certain time, Look Out!
and certainly be careful, Mantis and Man alike, we are all extremely vulnerable during and immediately after
dismount.

Praying Mantis-(Do it like a Ninja)

Praying Mantis-The Silent Assassins of the Insect World

I wanted to share this picture-a cocoon of my minions hatched today.

Praying mantis are a silent, efficient killer of  harmful insects.

I consider them  the Ninja of the insect world. Like the Ninja, they remain unseen, quickly strike and fade back into the shadows. If you are having re-occuring insect problems,

order 5-10 cocoons of praying mantis and place them in your trees and shrubs.

Once they hatch, you will have very few issues with mosquitos, flies or

anything else. I am a fan of using natural methods to treat problems whenever it is feasible.

Sometimes you have to be patient for Nature to work her magic.

( I have named this particular minion Hanzo, in honor of the famous Ninja Hanzo Hattori)

I know it's weird, I don't care.

Cool Tree Photos-Trees of Kansas City

A few of the better photos I have taken over the last few years.
Some of the more interesting trees/areas, and of course every tree has a story!

Pictured below are two Oaks we pruned on the Plaza. These are nice trees that provide excellent
shade/screening to these building. I love the sunlight shining through the canopies.
See if you can find the Arborists in the trees.

 

 This is a photo taken from an article in the Kansas City Star. The article was about the importance of hiring tree care professionals. VanBooven Arborist John Cox is pictured in a large Shingle Oak. This picture is great-I love the shades of green, all the green leaves and the feeling you are up in the tree.

I love this picture and I love this tree. One of the largest English Oaks in Kansas City. Located in Loose Park/Arboretum. We had just finished pruning this tree, part of our contract to prune Arboretum trees.
We did some great work and treated these old trees with all the respect they deserve.

This is an interesting Elm tree. It was severely damaged in a tornado/microburst. Parts of the tree are dead, limbs that are green are split/damaged. Quite a bit of the wood was split-ripped and twisted. We pruned out
the damage. Before picture-

After photo- 2 years later, tree still looks rough, but you have to be patient.The first pruning is damage control, like a triage or emergency room, you are trying to save the patient! It will take more time, most likely several years-more pruning to have a decent tree again

Northern Red Oak in Prairie Village. This tree has an amazing vase-shape. One of the cooler looking Northern Red Oaks we care for. What an awesome tree.

Historic Bur Oak in Bonner Springs. This tree is easily 250 years old and had developed a large split.
We pruned out large deadwood and installed multiple cables. Several other tree companies had advised the
owners to remove this tree. In a large, historic tree like this, every effort should be made for preservation.
Three weeks after we cabled this tree, there was a storm with 75 mph winds. This tree was unscathed!

I really like this photo-It's Spring, green grass, colors of smaller, understory trees.

One of my favorite trees in Kansas City. This Bur Oak is massive and very old.
We have been caring for this tree a long time and truly love this old guy.

I have hundreds of photos, these are some of my favorites.
I hope you enjoyed them.  Will post more in the future.

Prometheus and Methuselah

Prometheus was the name given to  the oldest tree on our planet-And we killed him!
Perhaps this tree was aptly named. In Greek mythology  Prometheus was horribly punished for giving fire to man.Chained to a rock and having his liver torn out every day by an eagle was no picnic. The Greek Prometheus was immortal, the Bristlecone Pine named Prometheus lived a long time and

was ultimately killed for being old looking, like he was on his last legs so to speak. (I hope this doesn't happen to any of us when we get old looking and people begin to suspect we might be on our last legs).

Now that I hopefully have your attention, I would like to share a couple of quotes that seem fitting.

"But these are foolish things to all the wise, and I love wisdom more than she loves me,

my tendency is to philosophise on most things, from a tyrant to a tree"- Lord Byron

"Yet each man kills the thing he loves"-Oscar Wilde

Methuselah

Bristlecone Pines (Pinus longaeva) grow in the arid mountains of six states in the U.S.,

stretching from California to Colorado. They seem to thrive in almost impossible conditions-

extreme altitude, scant soil and very little moisture. Perhaps this is the secret to their longevity-all things in moderation. In fact, the oldest trees are found in California at elevations of 10,000 to 11,000 feet.

Between 1954 and 1955, a student of dendrochronology (study of tree rings/events), Edward Schulman

 was studying Bristlecone Pines in the White Mountains, California.While taking core samples to determine tree ages, he discovered some very old Bristlecone Pines. He found one tree he knew to be at least 4,000
years old , a Bristlecone Pine he named Methuselah.

This tree was further studied and in 1957 was found to be 4,723 years old.

Prometheus

With the international attention focused on Methuselah in 1957, there was another area of the U.S with

old, massive Bristlecone Pines. Wheeler Peak, located on Nevada's eastern border, was home to

some colossal Bristlecone Pines. A local group established the Great Basin National Park Association.

They were trying to focus state and federal attention on what they knew were champion trees. They believed these trees were as old or older than the Pines in California. They had already named some of the larger, more interesting looking trees-"Buddha", "Socrates" and "Prometheus". 

In 1964, a young geography student named Donald Curry was working on a project toward his

doctorate. He was studying the movements of glaciers with an assistant when they stumbled upon

these very old Pines. Taking a core sample from one of the oldest, gnarliest looking trees, they discovered

how very old this tree was. As fate would have it, their coring tool broke. Excited to finish the  project,

and running out of time, they asked and actually  received permission from the U.S. Forest Service to cut this tree down! (The reasoning seem to be this was not the famous Methuselah grove and the tree looked rough-

old and gnarled, probably near death's door).

It was Prometheus. They cut down one of the oldest trees on the Earth.(Death by dumbass)
To put this in perspective, this  tree was a seedling when the Great Pyramids were being built

and was maturing when Jesus Christ walked the earth. 

Dendrochronologist Don Graybill later determined the exact age of Prometheus at 4,862 years.

Prometheus was older than Methuselah.

The following pictures  illustrate all that is left.

Here is the stump of Prometheus-Not a fitting tribute

Radial cuttings  of Prometheus at the University of Arizona-Dept. of  Dendrochronolgy

Fittingly,there is a legend that many believe to be true. There is a curse attached to people who cut or handle

the wood from Prometheus. Donald Curry, the man who cut down this tree, died very young. 

A U.S. Forest Service worker who was helping him died while moving the wood from Prometheus.

 Even Edmund Schulman, who discovered Methuselah, died at a young age.

 There have also been incidents/injuries with people  handling the wood from Prometheus.

What can we take from all of this?

Evidently, being named Prometheus seems to guarantee some sort of retribution by Gods or Man.

My warning to all-Do not name your trees or children Prometheus.Whatever their intentions, it will not turn out well.

Equally evident, if you are old and gnarly looking-watch out. People might think you are on your last legs and want to get rid of you, or the U.S. Forest Service may tell them it's o.k. to get rid of you. 

Archangel Ancient Tree Archive-This is amazing

Archangel Ancient Tree Archive

Meet David Milarch- a man who has undertaken a gargantuan and what some scientists and  foresters
had told him was an impossible task. He is collecting  genetic samples of the oldest, largest trees on Earth.

He and his sons  are then doing the near impossible-they are propagating and growing these trees

out and creating a champion tree archive. David is creating a Noah's Ark of  the world's oldest, largest

and most famous trees.

 

 David Milarch

Now for an interesting twist and some background information.

David Milarch is a third generation nurseryman. He used to live a wild life, he rode with motorcycle gangs,

drank and partied hard. An alcoholic for many years, he eventually suffered organ shutdown/renal failure.As he lay dying with his family around him,  he had a life changing near-death experience.

David had an out of body experience with what he described as "angels" He was escorted by 2 angels

to another place, a place of pure light. He could see a shimmering city in the distance and he badly wanted to go there. He said he felt so much love and pure bliss, he never wanted to leave.

 He was confronted by a giant Angel (archangel)? who told him he could not stay. " you must go back, you still have work to do" the giant angel told him. He returned to his own body, sat up in bed

 and told his family he was not going to die and he didn't. He recovered over the course of several months and waited for a sign of what he was supposed to do.  He said an angel returned one night-His bedroom was full of golden light and he was instructed to take paper and pen and go to another room. He did as instructed and when he awoke later,his pad was full of notes-This is part of what he had written:

The Earth's trees and forests were dying. Diseases, insects, drought and other

factors were decimating the natural order of things.The Earth and it's people were in danger.
David was commanded by the angel to clone the biggest, oldest and hardiest trees in the world. Trees that had lived hundreds and thousands of years.

The Earth and it's trees could only be fully restored to their natural order by planting trees grown from the giants of the forest.

David started the Archangel champion tree project in 1996 with his 2 sons, Jared and Jake.

They initially cloned a champion Sugar Maple and have not looked back.

Since then, they have propagated over 45 species of trees. Just to name  a few:

Coast Redwood-multiple trees/champions

Giant Sequoia-cloned 5th largest Sequoia in the world and other champions

Champion Oaks of Ireland and Britain
Bristlecone Pine-they cloned the Methuselah tree! The oldest single tree in the world.

Willow

Yew

The Archangel group has taken DNA from 60 of the most magnificent trees on the planet. They have cloned thousands of trees from this original DNA and are actively re-planting/re-foresting these champion trees.

This group of dedicated people did what the experts said was impossible.

Because of the cyclical  nature of their work, they take cuttings from ancient trees only part of the time.. Because every species is different, they have to find which method of propagation will work for each tree. It takes time to nurture and grow out propagated seedlings in their labs.

Clonal propagation of old growth trees at Archangel facility (location is a well guarded secret)

 Jared Milarch getting DNA from  the Waterfall Tree-Giant Sequoia

 

Meryl Marsh-Archangel Global Field Coordinator-Pictured with 5th largest tree in the world, Giant Sequoia

The Archangel Mission:

To propagate the world's most important old growth trees before they are gone.

To reforest the Earth with the offspring of these trees.

To archive the genetics of ancient trees in living libraries around the world for the future.

Whether you believe in the story of angelic guidance or not,

this is still  an amazing story of one man's vision and the willpower to make it happen.

To read more about this story go to: www.ancienttreearchive.org

There is a book written about David Millard. "The Man Who Planted Trees", by Jim Robbins.

 

The Earth's Oldest Trees

Graphic of the Earth's  Oldest Trees-Enjoy!

Pando, Xerxes and other strange words

Pando-one of the Earth's oldest organisms

But first, a little historical tree trivia-

Legend has it the the Persian king Xerxes was traveling with his army when he came across a Sycamore
tree of such size and beauty, he forced his army to stop and share his adoration of the tree.

He would not leave and spent several days in unabashed  admiration of this lovely tree.

The tree was adorned with gold, jewelry-bracelets, necklaces, robes of gold....etc. 

His impatient commanders and soldiers were beside themselves,  they threatened mutiny.

The story continues with Xerxes finally agreeing to leave the tree-only after a gold medal ,with a likeness of the tree on it, was made for him to wear  and only if the tree was left with a guard, to keep it safe.

Rumor has it he left one of his Immortals behind to guard the tree for the rest of his life.

*I wish more trees and Arborists were treated like this! I also wish more wives appreciated their husbands

in this fashion-robes of gold, unabashed admiration,adoration, our likeness on gold medals.Glorious!
.My wife has heard this story a thousand times and refuses to budge on her "non-adoration" of me. I still  believe, somewhere hidden, she has a giant, gold medallion with my face on it.

Today I bring you the story of Pando. Pando is Latin for "I spread" and is the name for one of the
Earth's most massive and  oldest living organisms. There is a grove of Quaking Aspen in Utah, believed to be 80,000 years old, with arguments suggesting that number could be 1,000,000 years old.
This grove of Aspen in Fishlake National Forest, Utah  covers 106 acres of land. There are roughly 43,000 individual stems/individual trees.
What is truly astonishing -Pando is a single living organism. Each individual stem has the same genetic marker, they are all the same tree. Over thousands of years, trees continue to sprout up from the same growing, expanding root system. When a tree dies, the roots send up  sprouts  that grow
 into a new tree/stem.

A small portion of the grove that is Pando

Nature never ceases to amaze us. From the giant Redwood and Seqouia, ancient Bristlecone Pines, to the
venerable Oaks of Europe,one theme remains constant. We are all subject to the laws of nature.

 The saddest, most bitter  law of nature is this: all living things must one day die.

Pando is dying- It doesn't make it any easier knowing how long this ancient grove has been around.

We  all want things that are beautiful, mythical and make us happy to last forever.I know I do.

A combination of drought, disease and insect damage are killing off areas in this Aspen grove at a rapid pace. There is some hope-the Western Aspen Alliance at Utah State University is working with a

coalition of land  owners, foresters and conservationists on a plan to help keep Pando alive/healthy.

They will try to stimulate the root system of Pando by cutting some trees down and burning the ground in  other areas. As crazy as that sounds, it is a technique that creates a chemical reaction, causing roots to send up new sprouts.

Trees seem to be  a microcosm of human life. We both sprout  fast, get stronger and

sturdier with age. In between growing and aging we have bouts of sickness/disease. We get beat up, broken limbs, but we survive. As we both continue to age, our resistance to these problems weakens. We start to fall apart, the system  breaks down, leading to a long or short  spiral with the inevitable ending.

There is a lesson to be learned here. Enjoy those things and people  that are beautiful, mythical and make you happy, you never know how long they will be here.

Only time will tell if Pando can survive.

Conversations about Trees in Kansas

Conversations about Trees in Kansas

Welcome to Kansas- (an Indian word, roughly translated: land of few trees/the trees are dying) just kidding!

You would not believe the reactions I have received over the years from  out of state people when I tell them

I am an Arborist from Kansas. Some of the better stories:

In Japan, Kansas is apparently revered for it's beef, not it's trees or Arborists.

While in Japan I was watching a group of Japanese Arborists pruning street trees. I snapped a few photos

of them pruning Mimosa trees.They were an interesting group, in identical jumpsuits, identical hard hats, very professional. They were meticulously pruning, I was impressed. I went up and introduced myself  in my worst/halting Japanese. I explained I was a fellow Arborist from Kansas and was enjoying their expertise while pruning Mimosa trees. They understood I knew what type of tree they were working on and the fact that I was a fellow Arborist did not seem to impress them. However, the big boss did bow to me and said
"Ah,  Kansas beef, Kansas beef very good". That was about all the conversation I could get out of them

 and I was not entirely satisfied with it.

In Chicago, they seem to be convinced Kansas is still the Wild West, with cowboys and Indians and

firmly believe there are no trees  in Kansas . Years ago, while enjoying beverages on Front Street in Chicago and Second City, I had struck up a few conversations with fellow patrons. I was amazed to learn that Kansas was stuck in the Old West, we still had gunfighters, Old West saloons, Indians ready to attack anyone/anywhere and everybody lived on the prairie, except the fortunate who lived in the bigger cities.

They were excited to hear about how  I had to fight my way  through Indians on  my horseback ride  to the airport. I also explained there were a lot of   trees in Kansas  and they were mainly used by the Indians and outlaws to hide behind when they were shooting at you. All were equally glad to hear that things were better in the bigger cities.

I told them the good news about city life in Kansas-the Indians weren't taking scalps anymore, shootouts in the saloons were down and hardly anybody shot it out at high noon on mainstreet anymore. Chicago is a great city,  with nice people who enjoy a good story about life in Kansas.

Southerners  tend to view Kansas Arborists with suspicion, us being from "up North" and do not seem

to be convinced we really have any trees in Kansas. I can't really blame them,we cannot compete with some of the magnificent old Live Oaks they have down south. I do respect their work ethic and the pride people take  in their trees in the south.

Years ago, while in Los Angeles, I struck up a conversation with a couple of dudes.

They were like-"dude, are you really from Kansas, "dude, like what do you people do there"

They thought it was really funny when I told them I was an Arborist.

They were like"dude, what do you do, there aren't any trees in Kansas, it's flat and only has grass"

I told them there were like 125 trees in Kansas and all the Arborists took turns watering them and watching them grow. That shut them up for a while.But  what really impressed them was when I told them a lot of the  grass growing on the prairie really wasn't grass, it was marijuana, and farmers were growing it everywhere.

 When they found out the best kept secret about Kansas was all the weed growing on the prairie, thousands of acres of it, they seemed pretty impressed. I explained Kansas State University was so famous as an agricultural mecca because scientists and researchers were experimenting with new and  more powerful strains of weed, that could survive the harsh prairie but was much more potent  than weed grown in California and Hawaii.

My LA bros agreed with this and said" Yeah, everbody knows about that, the Indians have been growing and smoking weed in Kansas for like a million years or so". Who knew? Those damned Indians! One more good reason for us to take their land.

Now that the news is out about weed being cultivated on the prairie,  I keep waiting for a mass exodus of bros from California to Kansas but have not heard anything yet.

It is fitting that I seem to relate to and interact well with  Arborists from the Great Plains States. We deal with a lot of the same disease issues and the extremes of heat, flood, drought, wind....etc. the only thing missing are rivers of fire and biblical plagues of locusts.

I was at an International Forestry Conference in Seattle. There were Environmental Scientists, Arborists, Foresters, Silviculturists, anybody that had anything to do with trees was there, hundreds of people

The keynote speaker asked all the Arborists from the Great Plains states to stand up.

There were quite a few of us that were in this massive ballroom. The speaker asked everyone to give us a round of applause. He stated we had one of the most difficult jobs in the world.

Whatever statistics he had read, because of extremes in temperatures, extremes in weather, insect and disease problems added in, being an Arborist in the Great Plains States and keeping trees alive and healthy  was like trying to have nice, green grass in the Mojave  desert.

I felt pretty good hearing that. I've often wondered what he would say if he knew there really are only 125 trees in Kansas and all the Arborists take turns watering them and watching them grow?

Kansas Arborists Winter Conference 2013

          

 Kansas Arborists Annual Shade Tree Conference 2013

I was able to attend the KAA  conference last week.  It was a great conference and we were fortunate enough to have Dr. Ned Tisserat as a keynote speaker.

Dr. Tisserat was the former head of Plant Pathology at Kansas State University.
He is now with Colorado State University as Professor and Extension Specialist.

Dr. Tisserat and his research team recently discovered and named Thousand Canker Disease of Walnut.

I have known Dr. Tisserat since 1993. He is an incredibly smart man, generous with his knowledge and time.

He is able to take  detailed concepts and break them down for less brilliant minds to easily grasp.

I routinely sent him cuttings and samples to the Pathology lab at K-State. I always had endless questions

and concerns, he always had time for me and my questions. When I was a City Forester, he was instrumental in helping me control a serious outbreak of Oak Wilt.( I never forget people who helped me)

Dr. Tisserat covered many subjects at the conference.A short breakdown:

Drought-We are still in the midst of a major drought, some effects on trees are immediate, we may see growth and health issues relating to this drought over the next several years. Other secondary factors/ pathogens are opportunistic, will move in or colonize trees stressed by drought-esp. Canker Diseases, most are associated with drought conditions.

Cankers/Canker diseases-

Hypoxylon- The most serious, a diffuse type canker, these are one of the few cankers that expand and grow rapidly. These generally lead to tree mortality. I see this on Oak trees after construction activity.

Also included in this diffuse canker category is Thousand Cankers Disease of Walnut.

Cytospora- common on stressed trees, we see quite a bit of this on Cottonwood, Locust, Willow

and Spruce trees.

Nectria- very common on Honeylocust

Botrosphaeria- Crabapple, Pine, Spruce, Rocky Mountain Juniper

Fusarium- Common on Goldenraintree

*Each one of these Cankers has it's own distinct symptoms and fruiting structures used for identification-their own very distinct signature.

Thousand Canker Disease of Walnut-Unfortunately, this disease is headed our way.

There is a statewide quarantine on Walnut logs in Kansas, but that most likely will not stop

people from bringing in infected firewood from Colorado or elsewhere. As of this time,

there are no treatments proven to be effective. I spoke to Dr. Tisserat about this and some other disease issues. He feels it might be possible to treat Walnut  trees with Tree-Age or similar insecticide, but there is no research at this time.

One interesting point that he had is how many Walnuts there are in Kansas. They don't get a lot of attention, but they are in neighborhoods, parks, greenspace and woods everywhere.

Bacterial Leaf Scorch- This is a first for Kansas. Bacterial Leaf Scorch was found on an Elm and

diagnosed positively in a lab.Leaves yellow and appear scorched, tree is defoliated.

This is a fairly significant problem in Eastern states, but the first we have seen it in Kansas.

This bacterium is thought to be spread by insects, specifically  leafhoppers.

In most cases, slow decline of tree and eventual death of tree. Injections of antibiotics will supress symptoms, but are not curative.

Emerald Ash Borer-Is now here, will be a nightmare when beetle populations build.

This is what we can expect to see in untreated trees as populations build over time.
As the  USDA Forest Service map below clearly illustrates, Ash tree mortality rises rapidly as populations build.

I sound like a broken record, but if you have valuable Ash trees, you need to inject them with
Tree-Age insecticide for 2 years of control with a proven 99% success rate.

This is the short version of conference material. My personal thanks to Dr. Ned Tisserat for sharing vast amounts of information with us.

Ipsa scienta potestas est-

knowledge itself is power

Picture of me in Okinawa, Japan 2002. This giant old Ficus tree is close to Shuri Castle, the
palace of the Ryukyu kingdom. Unfortunately this picture does not do this tree justice.
The word massive comes to mind-huge spreading canopy, gargantuan trunk, with roots spreading out over giant stone blocks. Massive roots and trunk are pushing/bowing out giant stone blocks.
The height and girth of this tree lead me to believe it is easily 200 years old and most likely much older.
Ficus microcarpa, also known as Chinese Banyan or more common Banyan tree.

Tree Injections

Tree Injections

People have been injecting substances into trees for hundreds of years, with varied success.

The great Leonardo DaVinci is credited with drilling holes into apple trees and adding arsenic

to poison the fruit and the thieves who were stealing his apples. (No historical notes on the success/failure of his project)

Trees are amazing organisms. They have a vascular system, which makes it possible to inject chemicals directly into the xylem, the water-conduction portion of wood. This ties into the natural movement of water, sugars and starches throughout the roots, stem and canopy. Chemicals are spread efficiently throughout the tree by utilizing  this natural process.

The downside of any injection is we are drilling holes and wounding the tree to get chemical into it.

The question for me has always been: Is the cure causing long term problems for the tree?

When I first started down the path of Arboriculture, I was extremely reluctant to inject/injure trees.

In my original capacity as a City Forester, I witnessed firsthand the devastating effects of Dutch Elm disease and Oak Wilt. When I realized there were a select few chemicals that could control these diseases, I changed my mind. The risk is worth the reward. Trees injected preventatively, at the proper time with the correct dose of chemical can resist these diseases and will not become infected.
(Dutch Elm disease and Oak Wilt are vascular diseases that kill trees quickly).

As I began injecting trees for disease control, I documented some of  my experiences-
Pine trees are almost possible to inject-pitch in the wood quickly clogs injector tips/tees.
Even under increased pressure, they are still difficult and because the wood is diffuse porous, I question
the efficiency of transport and distribution. (We are typically spraying Pines with fungicide for control and
injecting fertilizers into soil and root zones).

Oaks and Elms transport water/chemical very efficiently. Wood is ring porous and will
transport larger volume efficiently.
*Using a macro-injection process, I had an Elm tree uptake 48 gallons of water and chemical in
38 minutes-this sounds crazy, but it pulled it that fast.

I also  found that the vast majority of injection holes closed within1 year,

when done correctly-drilled to the proper depth, using a clean, sharp bit.

The use of high-helix drill bits is also helpful.

There are several reasons for injecting trees, first and foremost is disease control.

Please keep in mind that chemical injections are not always necessary. Some disease problems and many insect problems can be controlled by spraying alone. Some of these issues are cyclical/cosmetic and do not cause serious or long-lasting problems for trees.

You have to be careful, chemical companies market every conceivable type of chemical and injection process . There are always  people that want to sell you things, not because you really need it

or it is important for a trees' survival. There are also some fairly unscrupulous people posing as Arborists

that want to sell you a chemical "program" or just want to sell you a lot of crap you really don't need.

Methods of injection-(Processes)

Macro-injection uses a higher volume of water mixed with chemical and in my opinion, is the most

successful, long-lasting treatment process.

This is the process we use to treat trees preventatively for Dutch Elm disease, Oak Wilt and to treat trees

for Iron Chlorosis.
Pictured below is an American Elm I injected several years ago. Our company is still treating this tree.

It is alive and well, after Dutch Elm disease killed many of the trees on adjacent properties.

This picture illustrates the use of tees, hose and spacing of injection sites using the macro-injection system.

Pictured below is company owner Greg VanBooven using the Medi-ject system to treat an Oak for Iron Chlorosis. This is very common on Pin Oaks and other trees in the Kansas City metro.
 Iron Chlorosis causes leaves to yellow and growth is stunted, mainly a soil PH issue and inability of trees to assimilate Iron and Manganese because of soil PH.
Another example of a macro-injection system, using a high volume of water and chemical.

Micro-injection- I am not a big fan of micro-injection. Small, pressurized capsules are used to get chemical into tree. While it has it's uses on small trees or trees with limited root access, I question the efficiency

and have seen limitations firsthand. I have no pictures of this process, we typically do not use it.

I have used it in dire circumstances to treat for Oak Wilt and it did work, also to inject fertilizer into trees

surrounded by asphalt and concrete, to keep them alive/buy time. I was not a big fan of this methodology/philosophy, but had a client that was insistent.

He wanted to keep trees alive until he could get other trees planted and growing.

*Emerald Ash Borer and preventative Ash injections-

This is just starting in our area. As beetle populations build, it will be a major issue for all

varieties of Ash tree in the next 2-4 years.

There is a chemical and an injection process that will work extremely well to treat for Emerald
Ash Borer. 

The Arbor-Jet system is combination of micro/macro principles. 

Using the chemical Tree-Age, we can treat preventatively for 2 years of control.

When done properly at the correct rates, there is a 99.9% success rate.

Pictured below is the Arbor-Jet system we will be utilizing to inject Ash trees for EAB prevention

If you have questions about tree injections, contact me at brad@vanbooventree.com