ourselves asking over and over again here in the bay area and around the world. ççzñvpx] [applause] nalini nadkarnihanks. we bioneers hover at an epic moment of environmental destruction and environmental healing. we've come to this amazing conference in san raphael to seek truth, truth that will lead to the visions and actions that we need for that healing. i believe that that truth may be found in trees. trees actually represent many truths. as a scientist, trees are known as a perennial woody plant having a main trunk and a distinct crown.