Life without trees.

[flying french man]

I just want to share with you an experience that I've live this winter. My wife is a nurse in a remote village of the Nunavik, wich is located in Quebec province and is considered part of the arctic circle. This winter I had the chance to live there for 2 months and beeing part of a Inuit community ( first nation). I was only there for visit but after a week, one of the teacher at school became sick and I have replace her for 7 weeks. I was teaching french ( ther third language) , social science and arts.... for the high school in Kangirsuk wich is around 18 students out of 570 habitants. It was a interesting experience , sometime really difficult , sometime really fun. Somes subjects that I have spoke with them was ecology , global warming , social media , culture , identity , HOCKEY etc... Some of them had travel around the country , sometime Europe etc... But some kids had never left their village and they had so much difficulty understanding what was my real job...as an arborist. And than it shock me, they have never seen a tree in their life! No tree around there! And when I say none it's zero , not even a bush , only some lichens on the rock or blueberry plant during summer ( july-august). The weather is so cold , so windy -45 celcius not rare , wind 60 mp/h every week. Then you realize how much trees bring quality to ours towns , community , environnement etc... I've have been in the tree care for only 5 years , but it's all my life , it make me happy every days. When you hear people talking about how much tree affect ours life quality , hapiness , feeling safe etc... You think , yeah I like tree , but man they are hippies, they should come down to earth a bit. But not! Even if I've like the time there , I was feeling like I miss something every day... trees. Make me realize how much I loved them and I want to do a better job promoting their value and doing the difference in my community.

Some pictures.

 

[Leroy]

Wow, great stuff, thanks for sharing!

 

[JeffGu]

Awesome! But, what do the sled dogs pee on? No trees, no fire hydrants... ahh... telephone poles!

 

[Treezybreez]

Cool pics! Now I feel like some hot chocolate is necessary. Hard to believe that some of them have never seen a tree. Where I went in Siberia some kids and even adults had never seen the ocean. They had seen pics of course, but that was it.

 

[Merle Nelson]

Perspective, it makes all the difference. Fun to hear about, to adjust my perspective.

 

[mrtree]

There are lots of trees in Kangersuk, they just happen to be horizontal, not vertical.

The tree line in that area is just north of Kuujjuaq on the Kocksock River. North of the tree line there are lots of willows and birches growing along the ground and to a height of 1m in sheltered locations. Further north, just north of Kimmirut, Baffin Islands are willows that reach 2m.

While us southerners may miss trees, the Inuit of Nunavik (and elsewhere) are a proud people that have suffered terribly, but are among the strongest, toughest people in the world who love nothing more than being on the land and eat country food (caribou, arctic char, seal, and whale). The people of Kangersuk are able to travel to Akpotak Island to hunt for gull eggs and view the summer gathering of polar bears. They hunt for beluga to feed themselves and eat 3 foot long char fresh from the river. If you want a test join the people seal hunting when they have to pull a 300-500 pound seal out of their breathing hole.

People of Kangersuk have done great things, a friend has been from the Antarctic circle north to the northernmost communities in the world and now councils Inuit youth attending college in Montreal.

Trees are great, for us, but a piece of Muctuck is the world for them.

 

[flying french man]

There are lots of trees in Kangersuk, they just happen to be horizontal, not vertical.

The tree line in that area is just north of Kuujjuaq on the Kocksock River. North of the tree line there are lots of willows and birches growing along the ground and to a height of 1m in sheltered locations. Further north, just north of Kimmirut, Baffin Islands are willows that reach 2m.

While us southerners may miss trees, the Inuit of Nunavik (and elsewhere) are a proud people that have suffered terribly, but are among the strongest, toughest people in the world who love nothing more than being on the land and eat country food (caribou, arctic char, seal, and whale). The people of Kangersuk are able to travel to Akpotak Island to hunt for gull eggs and view the summer gathering of polar bears. They hunt for beluga to feed themselves and eat 3 foot long char fresh from the river. If you want a test join the people seal hunting when they have to pull a 300-500 pound seal out of their breathing hole.

People of Kangersuk have done great things, a friend has been from the Antarctic circle north to the northernmost communities in the world and now councils Inuit youth attending college in Montreal.

Trees are great, for us, but a piece of Muctuck is the world for them.

Great post. You seem to know the area really well , have you been there for some time? But really in my arctic experience in Kangirsuk this winter and 2 years in Baker Lake Nunavut I have never seen a tree there... Like you said the tree line stop a little bit North of Kuujjuaq. People in Nunavik are awsome has you said , I had the chance to try raw frozen char and caribou during a feast , It was really good. Where you from mrtree?

 

[mrtree]

I am not sure people know this but Baker Lake may be the remotest place in Canada, stuck at the geographical centre of the country but as far from anything as possible. The nearest town is Chesterfield Inlet which is 200 miles away and has perhaps 350 people living in it. I have been nearby on Hudson Bay but never in these villages.

You have picked some pretty remote places to live.