To Take Wildness in Hand - Michelle Nijhuis

The changing climate and global warming have very destructive effects on both plants and animals. In her essay, "To Take Wildness in Hand," Michelle Nijhuis raises the issue of the decreasing population of a tree species that grows in the Florida Panhandle called Torreya taxifolia. The writer and naturalist, Barlow found that some of the reason these trees were struggling in their environment might be because the temperatures in that area had reached all-time highs, that disease had spread rapidly, or maybe it was because of the drought. To try and fix and/or delay this problem, Barlow decided that the species had to be moved up north and then took the responsibility and she "would (move the trees) herself."

One of the problems other scientists have with this "assisted migration" is that they are worried about the surrounding species - plants and animals alike. "You just can't do that" some of the other scientists said. Although simply restoring the landscape surrounding this species of tree sounds like a good idea, it is hardly feasible because because it is a bigger problem than it seems. Despite the set-backs, Jessica Hellmann says that "It's incredibly exciting to think that we could come up with a strategy that might help mitigate the impacts of climate change."

Personally, I think that as a people, Americans are too concerned with preserving something that is meant to die. Disrupting nature's natural course is a very risky thing to do and can cause more problems than it actually helped.