Undisruptable

15Cochrane Curves – Overcoming Crises and Fear

Figure 15.1 Cochrane curves

‘If I knew all I know today when I began to put the dishwasher on the market, I never would have had the courage to start. But then, I would have missed a very wonderful experience’.

— Josephine Cochrane

I grew up in a wonderfully wooded area in Ireland. We had two magnificent redwood (sequoia) trees in our garden. When I was about ten years old, I asked my father why the bark of a redwood is soft. He explained how the thick bark protects the tree from disease and provides a fire-resistant shell to shield the tree from forest fires. My childhood instinct was to think how this was terrible, we should protect the tree from the destructive fire; as it turned out, I was not alone in my reaction. Since the 1900s, man has tampered with natural fires to inhibit the resulting destruction. However, wildfires are essential for the renewal of natural ecosystems. If they don't occur, plants and trees may mature, deteriorate, or die without ever releasing their seed.

Trees, fauna and foliage in those forests prone to fires have evolved in fascinating ways. Some trees produce resin-coated cones containing mature seeds that are only activated when fire breaks out. The heat of the fire melts the resin around the cones, like the wax of a candle. This apparent act of destruction releases seeds that have been waiting ...