robingfx

Jay,

Thanks for your reply.

I understand your point and I agree to a certain degree that perfect trees should be left alone for everybody to enjoy. I wouldn’t want to walk a trail and find holes everywhere sticking out like a sore thumb, and I wouldn’t want to know that the prettiest trees along that trail had been plucked by selfish people for their own pleasure.

But what if you walked out in the woods or the desert where nobody rarely ever walks? You won’t deprive anyone from the beauty if you dig a tree up there. There are billions of trees so there is no risk that you would eradicate a species or make any significant impact (unless everybody in this planet suddenly started to become serious bonsaiists).

In your reply to me you gave an example of a “nearly perfect” tree. I can understand why that should be left alone. But if I found a less perfect tree, why couldn’t I take that one? I am more interested in young trees that I can train into a bonsai.

I understand that there are laws against stealing and digging up trees without permission is immoral. So for that reason I wouldn’t dig up a tree. Believe me, I wouldn’t break the law to get a tree; I am not that serious about bonsaiing. But the arguments I read here in some of the threads don’t persuade me. You gave me an extreme example which I agree with, but there are so many more trees in the world.

Take care,
Robin