I would say trees growing in neat rows in an industrial monoculture orchard, or squeezed into a 3-ft strip of otherwise barren land next to a sidewalk slowly choking to death on concrete and pollution, have been destroyed in almost every way that matters. They physically still exist, yes, but trees are part of an ecosystem; capitalism kills the ecosystem and raises the tree as a zombie servant. It forces the tree to perform its profitable function, and nothing else, and destroys everything about it and everything around it that doesn’t serve that function.
Zombie trees may be alive, but they aren’t really living.
Or maybe we’re overthinking and the poster is talking about logging and not about absolutely everything in the world that people might use a tree for.
No, a tree has value if it bears fruit or other produce (syrup).
That’s what I was thinking. I’m curious what the intended meaning is because I’m super hung up on “people sell apples/other fruit/produce”.
I would say trees growing in neat rows in an industrial monoculture orchard, or squeezed into a 3-ft strip of otherwise barren land next to a sidewalk slowly choking to death on concrete and pollution, have been destroyed in almost every way that matters. They physically still exist, yes, but trees are part of an ecosystem; capitalism kills the ecosystem and raises the tree as a zombie servant. It forces the tree to perform its profitable function, and nothing else, and destroys everything about it and everything around it that doesn’t serve that function.
Zombie trees may be alive, but they aren’t really living.
Or maybe we’re overthinking and the poster is talking about logging and not about absolutely everything in the world that people might use a tree for.