I am totally aware of that paradox between the title of this week’s post and the general absence of any sand, dunes or all the other commonly known appearances of a place that’s called a desert. But the idyllic scenery from above’s image is hiding something, has a hidden layer below these rich and saturated greens. Or to connect it with some popcultural quote from David Lynch’s Twin Peaks series: “The Owls are not what they seem.”.
Such places are indeed referenced as “a Desert of Spruces” by local forest rangers – a name, a term that might certainly be good contender for any national competition about which word or neologism has the most authentic mood and mindset typical for us Austrians inside. It’s got that bleakness, that bittersweet irony inside. Also that kind of humorous self-awareness. To name a few.
Actually professional woodworkers and biologists have been using that name for such places simply because many of these were artificially forested decades ago – solely due to economical reasons, unaware of what unwanted, ecological sideeffects might come along with that kind of attitude. Like monocultures being a feast for parasites. Or that Spruces have already become one of the first victims of climate change over here in Austria.
Now, years and years after that trend began, ideologies have changed and many things have been learned. Diversity is the way. May these unique places, these deserts be enjoyed for as long as they’re still here.