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!
