Rarely have I enjoyed a book as much as The Hidden Life of Trees: The Illustrated Edition. Looking at photographs of forests isn't nearly as good as being in a forest, but from my urban, mid-winter perch it came as a welcome respite. It is remarkably easy to imagine the sounds of birds and the rustle of leaves overhead, and to feel the stillness of the forest floor. Time slows. Moss grows.
The text, an abbreviated version of the bestseller from a couple of years ago, benefits from the edit. It gets to the point, letting the trees fill in the rest.
Lose the forests and we will surely lose the climate. Plant forests and we have a chance. Beyond carbon storage, which is significant, forests...
Forests are also beautiful, full of mystery and wonder.
To quote the always quotable Aldo Leopold:
“If the land mechanism as a whole is good then every part is good, whether we understand it or not…To keep every cog and wheel is the first precaution of intelligent tinkering.”
– Conservation, Round River.
Here's to intelligent tinkering.
The text, an abbreviated version of the bestseller from a couple of years ago, benefits from the edit. It gets to the point, letting the trees fill in the rest.
Lose the forests and we will surely lose the climate. Plant forests and we have a chance. Beyond carbon storage, which is significant, forests...
- deflect sunlight from the ground
- emit molecules that thicken clouds (coniferous terpenes)
- function as massive pumps sending rain inland (rainforests)
- bring water up from the depths to the benefit of an entire, complex ecosystem
- slow rain and melting snow from running off into streams and rivers
Forests are also beautiful, full of mystery and wonder.
To quote the always quotable Aldo Leopold:
“If the land mechanism as a whole is good then every part is good, whether we understand it or not…To keep every cog and wheel is the first precaution of intelligent tinkering.”
– Conservation, Round River.
Here's to intelligent tinkering.
