It is sad to read an article in the Cross Strait Cha Dao magazine today, the writer 
criticized trees he saw in an organic tea field in Wuyi, Fujian because for him he could profit 100 times or more from the harvest by removing trees and other plants.
What a typical “Money & Profit Driven” mentality without knowing the reason why other plants in the tea field are necessary.
- First of all, tea trees, particularly those young tea plants, need temporary shade to avoid too strong sun light and heat.
- Not to mention how critical it is to have trees that can grasp the ground that help to protect the soil against erosion and
- help to control weeds.
- When tree leaves or other plants fall in the season, it provides natural nutrients and extra layer of protection to the soil against the cold in the winter season.
A tea field without trees or other plants can only be described as “Order & Neat” but can’t be considered as “Nature & Ecological”; as matter of fact, often the more beautiful tea fields mean more potential threatening processes be placed against the Nature.
I lost my words when I read that article but could only give a brief comment:
You’re wrong. The greediness from human are the greatest killers to the Mother Nature.
I love tea dearly so I endorse efforts to maintain ecological balance with the Mother Nature. Just because we claim ourselves as tea lovers, therefore I think we shouldn’t view tea as a commercial product that is only for ‘money or profit making’ . We must learn to appreciate the natural and humane values behind each leaf.
