Serotiny

This piece was displayed as part of Doug Tolman's MFA exhibition "Generative Spaces". "A refurbished family maul (XMA) splits through a log (BOA) that was cut down after a prescribed burn. We burn forests by prescription in an attempt to mimic and manage serotiny. Serotiny is defined as "the retention of seeds in pods or cones on the tree, often for many years, until a disaster, most commonly the heat of a fire, causes their release. After fire, the seeds fall on ground fertilized by ash in a site cleared of competitors." Michael Allaby, A Dictionary of Ecology, 2010." Statement from the artist. / XMA: From an unknown watershed, made of mixed materials, altered by humans. BOA; From Bear watershed, made of organic materials, altered by humans.