Dr. Alex Shigo- The Tree Guru

"Trying to treat what you do not understand is the same as trying to start a Rolls Royce by hitting it with a sledgehammer" Dr. Alex Shigo🌳



Dr. Alex L. Shigo
May 8th, 1930
October 6th, 2006

This has been a long time coming, should have written this years ago!
For those living outside the Tree World,  who may not have not heard of him, Dr. Alex Shigo was
(and still is) the Arborist's Guru, the father of Modern Arboriculture. He was the rock star of the tree world for many years. A Biologist and Plant Pathologist,  he was  also  Chief Scientist with the US Forest Service.
He established the theory of CODIT- Compartmentalization Of Decay in Trees.
His research is highly published and he traveled the globe, lecturing and studying trees,
sharing his concepts with the world. His books are fascinating, a culmination of his years of research.

I was fortunate to have attended  a few of Dr. Shigo's workshops. I was even more fortunate
to have had the opportunity to meet with him privately, once for after dinner drinks and some incredible conversation with this brilliant man.
 I drank beer, he sipped wine, he talked and I listened. I had a list of
questions folded in my pocket, but never did get to the list, I had made it to the top of the mountain,
listening to the guru himself-the list and the questions no longer mattered. I was trying to absorb every detail of what he was telling me. The first thing he told me was this- "I do not have all the answers, nobody does". I knew I had met a truly honest man. He went on to say that
I would discover those answers on my own, over time.(He was correct)
His belief was that you had to understand trees as a system. Once you understood how the system worked, understood the processes, you would arrive at your own answers.
He was and still is my  personal guru-his wisdom and brilliant theories changed how Arborists around the world think about and care for trees.

Normally I would caution someone about putting people on a pedestal.
Sometimes we meet our heroes, people we look up to and are disappointed when we find
they are just  just like us- mere mortals. This was not the case with Dr. Shigo, he never disappointed.
He challenged me-asking me if I was satisfied with 70-80% or was I willing to try to be the best, always searching for answers, was I willing to change my way of thinking about trees and accept new information, new theories?
But Shigo was different-everything was simplified with him-it was one of his brilliant qualities.
Define your terms, know your subject, simple diagrams, make things clear, brief and practical.
He felt that to be a good Arborist, you had to get out in the field, get your hands dirty and really study trees up close and personal, there was no other way.

I asked him to autograph a copy of his book-Modern Arboriculture. He signed it and he also wrote me a personal note inside. More importantly, what he wrote was the key to understanding everything about trees-it is one of my most cherished possessions, because of what he wrote.
(I'm not going to tell you) It forever changed how I would think about Arboriculture.

He told me he did not have all the answers, but I believe he did.
What he wrote in my book changed my entire way of thinking.
He had the most important answer-the key to it all.

I have a theory if anyone would like to hear it.  Anyone?
The great teachers lead  you down the  path, or towards the top of the mountain.
These  teachers are your guides, but you must arrive at your own destination, having completed the journey on your own. They are helping you make the journey, but the journey is yours, a process in itself. You discover your own truths, your own enlightenment along the way.I know I did.
Thank you Dr. Shigo!

Positivity

pos·i·tiv·i·ty

ˌpäzəˈtivədē/

noun

noun: positivity the practice of being or tendency to be positive or optimistic in attitude.

"pupils draw power from the positivity of their teachers"

I will always hold to the belief that I am one of the luckiest people on the planet.

Not because I am immensely wealthy, devastatingly handsome or incredibly intelligent.

Fortune smiles on us all in different ways- I have a job/career I truly enjoy, a lovely wife,

a strong and intelligent son to carry on my name and some very good friends.

My family has been blessed in many ways- with good health, a comfortable lifestyle and a nice home filled with laughter/life. All of these things make me a fortunate man.

I have led a rather interesting life-the ups, downs, highs and lows have provided me

with  good perspective. Over time, the high points made me realize how easy it is to fall, the lows reminded me that only hard work and perseverance would elevate me again.

The most worthwhile personal endeavor I ever undertook was martial arts training.

One of the reasons I consider myself among  the luckiest people on the planet was

the opportunity to train as a personal student of Taika Seiyu Oyata.

Some of his best lessons weren't about martial arts, they were about life.

If I learned anything from him, it was never give up, never stop trying, never stop learning.

He was forever thinking about his martial arts, changing things, showing us new concepts or the evolution of a previous concept-it was maddening at times-frustrating. He forced you to step up, to keep up or you would quickly fall behind. (as in life)

When I was struggling to learn something, he would say"you can do this, I learned this,
you can learn this" or my personal favorite"Do it-no choice". Who could argue with that logic? 

I admired my teacher for many different reasons. One was his ability to make fun of all of us, collectively and also individually, one at a time-you never knew when it was your turn.

It was very, very funny once you got used to it. There was no malice-it was all in good fun/humor, nobody was safe and nothing was off limits. He made fun of everything and everybody-I know this was a quality that was a never ending source of amusement to me and probably bound me to my teacher the most.

 My teacher was very serious about who he trained as a student. There was an expectation
that you would show up on time, give 100%  in class and then practice what he was showing you.
There was also an expectation that you would follow his moral code-you were a representative

of his name, his family art-don't do anything that would take anything away from his reputation.

This kept me on the straight and narrow path-I never wanted to be that guy-the one that badly embarrassed his teacher.

The most important lessons I learned from my teacher were right before my son was born.

He took me aside and said I always needed to be a positive role model for my son, that little eyes and ears were always watching and listening to everything you did, everything you said.

I was grateful then for this guidance, I still am.

He then went on to say"Most important lesson in life-man's words and actions must match,

easy to talk big, hardest thing is to do what you say will do-this man's character"

I have never forgotten his words. Of all the lessons I learned and tests I took in front of my teacher,this was the lifelong test, the most important test I am determined to pass.

A  man could go  his whole life and never get this type of advice.

This is just one example that reflects the mentoring role of my teacher, sharing his positive outlook, his wisdom/life experience.Was this his greatest lesson/test for me? I think so.

The lesson for today is: Positivity

Negativity is everywhere-don't accept it, don't buy into it.You have to question the motives and wisdom of people who are constantly talking bad about other people, whether it's martial arts or life in general-everyone has their own agenda. Just remember-it's only their opinion! 

I choose to keep things in my life positive and to associate with like minded people.
It seems to be working very well for me.

 Peace!