A Once Told Story

The story is told that once a young boy was extended an invitation to visit his uncle, who was a lumberjack in the northwest. For months the boy had looked forward with anticipation to this trip as an exciting adventure.

Finally, the time for his journey to the vast timber empire came. His uncle met him at the depot and as the two pursued their way to the lumber camp, the boy was impressed by the enormous size of the trees on every land. There was a gigantic tree that he observed standing all alone on the top of a small hill. The boy, full of awe, called out excitedly, "Uncle George, look at that big tree! It will make a lot of good lumber, won't it?"

Uncle George shook his head, then replied, "No, son that tree will not make a lot of good lumber. It might make a lot of lumber, but not a lot of good lumber. When a tree grows off by itself, too many branches grow on it. Those branches produce knots when the tree is cut into lumber. The best lumber comes from trees that grow together in groves. The trees also grow taller and straighter when they grow together."