Growing Trees As genealogists and family historians, we think of our research as growing trees. In the field of science over the past few decades, there has been an effort to grow more trees, as a way to make up for all the forests that have been cleared as humans have moved in to farm, and build villages, cities and  businesses. Nurturing Forest Webs Recently, research has shown that "monoculture" where only one kind of tree is planted, does not have the same benefits as forests do. As a result, there has been more research to see why there is a difference. In short, what they have found is that a forest works as a system, not a just a group of plants and animals. The similarities to human communities were striking; forests operate as complex systems of interacting parts, including living members and other elements. Such interactions create intricate webs of interdependence, with key processes such as energy flow and nutrient cycling sustaining life for all who live there [1...

Courtesy of Pixabay After a bit of literature review, the natural name of this post had to be  Collaboration on Every Level , because we humans live complicated lives. Our physical existence starts with a collaboration between parents and between a sperm and egg. As we move through life, we rely on family, friends, and institutions such as schools, churches, libraries, clubs, teams, and the larger culture, legal system and governments.  As the out-going president of South King County Genealogical Society, I see how much non-profits rely on others such as genealogy organizations, libraries, archives, historical, cultural, lineage, ethnic groups, as well as state, national and even international groups. When reading the Washington State Genealogical Society Blog , it's easy to see how we all depend on one another. The Washington Presidents Council , for instance, was formed for mutual support as Covid-19 changed our social landscape forever. It has been an important part o...