This is an extraordinary book about trees. It's an account by a veteran science journalist that ranges to the limits of scientific understanding: how trees produce aerosols for protection and 'warnings'; the curative effects of 'forest bathing' in Japan; or the impact of trees in fertilizing ocean plankton. There is even science to show that trees are connected to the stars.
Trees and forests are far more than just plants: they have myriad functions that help maintain the atmosphere and biosphere. As climate change increases, they will become even more critical to buffer the effects of warmer temperatures, clean our water and air and provide food. If they remain standing. The global forest is also in crisis, and when the oldest trees in the world suddenly start dying - across North America, Europe, the Amazon - it's time to pay attention.
At the heart of this remarkable exploration of the power of trees is the amazing story of one man, a shade tree farmer named David Milarch, and his quest to clone the oldest and largest trees - from the California redwoods to the oaks of Ireland - to protect the ancient genetics and use them to reforest the planet.
Many people disagree about the concept of global warming. Some don't believe that global warming even exists, while others disagree on the cause. Whether you agree with global warming or not, however, it is becoming quite clear that all is not as it should be. Into this fray steps a most unique man, David Milarch. He is the creator of a company called Archangel, which is attempting to clone the oldest trees for replanting. His belief is that our earth, and therefore all living beings, are much more dependent upon the trees than we've ever guessed. He also believes that the trees we have left today are the runts, the ones leftover when all the biggest and strongest were taken. How Milarch came to this belief, and the science that seems to support this theory more and more, make for fascinating reading.
Jim Robbins has crafted a book that should be required reading for everyone. He takes a subject that could be considered alternately crazy and boring and makes it compulsively readable. Interspersed between the science and the story of Milarch is information about some of the trees that have been so important to our earth, both factual information and stories about some of the biggest of the species. I truly did not want to put the book down, and so much of it (though nothing I would have thought of before) makes so much sense. Some of the book seems on the fringes of what many people would be willing to accept, but within the context of the book seem truly possible.
This is a book that I will keep on my shelves, and will recommend friends and family read. Even if the only thing they take away is that we need more trees, then I believe that will be a positive for everyone.
