[Operational Philosophy]
Recovery Protocol regards methodology as a form of custodianship. Procedures are designed to recover living specimens and preserve the knowledge generated through recovery. Methods are continually refined through field experience so that each Recovery Event contributes to the development of the protocol itself.

[Documentation Standards]
Field Agents begin with evaluating ecological conditions and custodial feasibility before intervention. Documentation is initiated as site observation and continues through long term cultivation. Records may include photography, field notes, measured drawings, environmental observations, cultivation records, material studies, GIS data, and observational painting. This archive allows Recovery Events to remain accessible as evolving bodies of knowledge rather than static historical records.

[Custodial Practices]
Recovery Protocol recognizes custodianship as a sustained commitment and an open-ended relationship between living organisms and environmental change. Each tree continues to generate information throughout its development. Monitoring combines direct observation with technical recording to help evaluate our methods while producing records that inform future Recovery Events.

We employ observational drawing, painting, photography, and material studies as complementary methods of investigation. These practices do more than illustrate recovered specimens. They generate distinct forms of knowledge through sustained attention to structure, growth, injury, repair, and environmental change. Observation is understood as an active research process that reveals relationships unavailable through technical measurement alone.

[Mapping]
We understand geography as a logistical infrastructure and research instrument. Mapping records relationships among sites of recovery, transportation routes, development, ecological conditions, and distributed Field Offices. Spatial documentation enables Recovery Events to be understood individually while revealing broader territorial patterns that emerge across regions and over time.

[Identification]
Every object receives a permanent registry designation. Identifiers describe relationships within an evolving operational system. New categories may be introduced, yet existing identifiers remain permanent so that every Recovery Event retains a stable position within the archive.

[Ethical Framework]
Custodianship carries responsibilities extending beyond biological preservation. Every Recovery Event requires consideration of ecological context, property conditions, cultural histories, long-term stewardship capacity, and the potential consequences of intervention itself.

The protocol recognizes that not every tree should be recovered, nor every recovery undertaken. Decisions are informed by practical feasibility, ecological continuity, available custodial resources, and the long-term interests of the living specimen.

We seek neither universal intervention nor comprehensive preservation. Instead, we develop careful methods for determining when recovery constitutes a meaningful extension of ecological continuity.