Tag: nature
A Wheel of Deepening Land Healing through Sacred Gardens and Refugia, Part I
No 300 Foot Giants
I’ve spent a lot of time in wild places over the years. Something I’ve noticed is this:
Humans are place-based creatures. We thrive when we feel connected to certain landscapes.
I’ve also noticed that one of the best ways to develop this connection is to learn what makes each place unique.
Lately, I’ve been exploring mature and old-growth forests, and I’ve wondered:
What trees live here? How old are they? What do they do all day? Do they care that I’m filming them?
More recently, I’ve been wondering something else: How tall can these trees grow?
It’s a question that leads to an interesting realization: Forests in eastern North America are known for their exceptional biodiversity, but none of the trees that grow in these forests attain the heights that the tallest trees out west reach.
Why is this the case? Is it a lack of rain? Is it the soil? Or are there other factors involved?
In a brand-new video, I explore why eastern forests don’t have 300-foot giants.
P.S. My newest online course, Elders: The Ecology of Old-Growth Forests, launches in May 2026. This course explores the life and legacy of ancient forests, offering a deeper understanding of these extraordinary ecosystems. Stay tuned for more information.
— Adam Haritan
Recreating Prague’s Speculum Alchemiae Elemental Symbols – A Bardic Journey, Part I
History and Meaning of the Elemental Symbols: Insight into Speculum Alchemiae Elemental Symbols, Part II
In Defense Of Age
When I was younger, I played piano. Rather than learning popular songs of the day, I studied the classics: Bach, Haydn, Chopin, Beethoven.
When I was in my 20s, I developed an interest in spirituality. Rather than looking to modern influencers for answers, I turned to older texts like the Bible and the Tao Te Ching.
By my 30s, I noticed a pattern. Whenever I wanted to learn something, I sought out older teachers. This approach also shaped how I procured food and medicine: older people taught me how to hunt, fish, and forage.
Over time, however, I noticed a discrepancy. For years, I had been documenting forests and spending time in them. Most of these forests were, ecologically speaking, young. They had regrown after land was farmed, logged, or mined.
Of course, I wasn’t quick to dismiss these ecosystems. But if I wanted to deepen my understanding of ecology, I knew I had to connect with older forests.
So I made a decision.
I immersed myself in old-growth forests — along the Congaree River, on the Niagara Escarpment, at the foot of Mount Rainier, and elsewhere — not as a passive visitor or as someone in search of personal gain, but as an active learner, committed to sharing what I learned with others.
After countless hours in these forests, I’m excited to report that I’m almost ready to share what I’ve learned with you.
Elders: The Ecology of Old-Growth Forests is my newest online course examining the life and legacy of ancient forests. Launching in May 2026, this course is designed to deepen your ecological literacy, help you recognize patterns embedded in older ecosystems, and change the way you experience forests.
In a time when youth is disproportionately exalted, Elders: The Ecology of Old-Growth Forests celebrates maturity and restores age to its rightful place — as a steward of continuity and wisdom.
I hope you’ll consider enrolling.
Stay tuned for more details, and thank you for your continued support.
—Adam Haritan
The Forest We Lost — And The One That Came Back
Years ago, I started reading books on Taoism. One Taoist concept I learned early on was the inevitability of change. Nothing stays the same, Taoists tell us. Things move, shift, grow, and fade, whether we’re paying attention or not.
Years later, I became interested in ecology, and I began to wonder: how do forests change? Specifically, I began to wonder how forests in the northeastern United States have changed over the past 400 years.
Turns out, I wasn’t the only one wondering about this. Ecologists have been trying to figure this out for a long time. What they’ve found is somewhat surprising and even a bit paradoxical:
After 400 years of intense land use, the northeastern forest is both largely unchanged and completely transformed.
How can that be? In a brand-new video, I explore this remarkable paradox.
One last thing: I have a surprise to share with you next Monday, so be sure to check your inbox!
— Adam Haritan
Humans Don’t Consciously Need Nature
There’s a question that runs through my mind almost every single day:
Why do things look the way that they do?
Of course, I’m mostly referring to why things in nature objectively look a certain way — why a particular forest is coniferous, or why calcium-loving plants grow in certain wetlands.
I think a lot of people ask related questions, but what I’ve noticed over the years is that some of us frame these questions through a negative lens.
We might wonder, for example, why bad things are happening to certain ecosystems, why some landscapes look rough, and ultimately why humans are so disconnected from nature.
I don’t claim to know with absolute certainty why these things are happening, but I think the answer has something to do with this:
Humans don’t consciously need nature.
In a brand-new video, I explain what I mean.
Thanks for reading and watching, and thanks for your continued support!
— Adam Haritan
Old-Growth Forest Myths Vs Reality
I really enjoy spending time in old-growth forests.
I admire the sights, I love the sounds, and I like that old-growth forests can make a human feel small, yet still important.
Old-growth forests once covered large areas of land in North America, but these forests are far less common today.
As a result, we might find ourselves imagining things that aren’t entirely true.
We might believe, for instance, that North America was an endless expanse of old-growth forest at the time of European settlement. We might also believe that North America’s old-growth forests were — and still are — untouched and free from disturbance.
But how much of what we believe is true?
In a brand new video, I explore a few old-growth forest myths and discuss why our modern perceptions often miss the full story.
Thanks for reading and watching, and thanks for your continued support!
— Adam Haritan
Why Are Tick Populations Exploding?
Lyme disease. Anaplasmosis. Babesiosis. Alpha-gal syndrome.
These are only a few of the many illnesses associated with tick bites.
Interestingly, these illnesses are much more common today than they were even just a few decades ago. Why is that?
One way to get some answers is to figure out why tick populations are increasing. According to the CDC, the number of U.S. counties with an established population of blacklegged ticks has more than doubled since 1998.
How did this happen? What factors contributed to the explosion in tick populations? Did the U.S. government have something to do with this? Or did this all happen by chance?
In a brand-new video, I share my thoughts on this important topic.
Thanks for reading and watching, and thanks for your continued support!
— Adam Haritan
Paths I Walk 
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