Walking with Trees

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The legacy of being wedded to continuous technological progress while at the same time viewing the forest in static equilibrium, has not only resulted in dense overgrowth, but the vast emissions of greenhouse gases warming the planet, both of which are fueling the huge fires. Current forest managers recognize the need to let fires burn when it is safe to do so and to great ly the number of controlled burns. In California they are beginning to partner with indigenous tribes.[22] But even if it were possible to burn on the scale that is thought necessary, that wouldn’t restore the health of the forests. Even if precipitation increases from that in recent years, which is possible as predictions of future rainfall in California vary, the drought won’t fully abate. Models of future climate under any emissions scenario all concur that temperatures will continue to rise increasing the need for water, since transpiration and evaporation increase with temperature. Recently there has been an upsurge of interest in trees. Some of this arises from research done by Suzanne Simard that gives us a picture of what is now known as the Wood Wide Web; and building on this is the amazing book by Peter Wohlleben, The Hidden Life of Trees. There are now a great number of tree books around (of which some of the most inspiring and comprehensive are the three in a series by Fred Hageneder). Just 30 minutes a day is beneficial, including reducing risk of conditions like heart disease and diabetes. If a half hour hike seems out of reach, start small and gradually increase your step count. The movement towards caring for our unique and astoundingly beautiful Earth grows every day, and this gives me hope for the future. I know that I am just one of many people making this journey, and I align myself, my kinship and my heart with all the people who love the Earth as I do, who are redefining themselves as one of many interconnected complex intelligent life-forms sharing the Earth’s resources; who are filled with a deep desire to help the Earth restore and heal the damage we have done. Each one of us has our own strengths and parts to play as we collectively do what we can to bring about intelligent compassionate change. Together, our many actions, both overt and subtle, are creating the great transformation of our time. Trees are similar to humans in that they have senses although their senses may far exceed ours. Trees, and plants, are able to hear, feel, see, smell, taste, and even touch although it is believed that they have many more senses than that. There has been research in the past few years that suggests trees have the potential to see and that they may even possess something similar, albeit on a much simpler level, to the human eye. Additionally, they are capable of seeing parts of the electromagnetic spectrum that humans can’t, such as infrared and ultraviolet.

Pauline Boss, The Myth of Closure: Ambiguous Loss in a Time of Pandemic and Change, (New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 2022), p. 70. But the earth is calling us to look down. The seedlings at my feet were less than two inches tall. Sequoia seeds only germinate after fire. Despite those who say that the fire burned so hot that it destroyed all of the seeds, here they were by the thousands, demonstrating the continuous life force energy of the earth. Japan has recently dedicated the equivalent of millions of pounds to the study and promotion of Shinrin-Yoku, forest-bathing, as a therapeutic aid to humans.Joanna Macy and Chris Johnstone, Active Hope: How to Face the Mess We’re in without Going Crazy (Novato, Ca.: New World Library, 2022), p. 5 Glennie's passion for trees is infectious, and inspires us to look more closely, listen more intently and walk with trees more often. She shares her stories and encounters with trees and weaves together many ways to deepen our engagement with them, from growing them, harvesting and using them for medicine, food, and craftwork. She also encourages us to find our way into a more subtle and intuitive relationship with the trees, as part of our journey to heal our fractured relationship with the Earth.

I love this book, which is imbued with Glennie's deep love of trees, and illustrated with her own beautiful & magical drawings. I really like the practical recipes and information, as well as the exercises for connecting with trees and appreciating them as fellow sentient beings who share this earth with us. Highly recommended!
" - Julie Bruton-Seal, herbalist and author, co-author of 'Hedgerow Medicine' hedgerowmedicine.comIn this time of winter, the continued presence of the pandemic demands that there is more work to be done, that we look deeper, that we pay attention to the process of death, decay and renewal. Decomposition is a kind of distillation as complex organisms returned to their elemental state where they may nurture future generations, whatever the forms of life emerge. Which aspects of human behavior—love, kindness or compassion, can serve to work with the darkness of collapsing systems? Ruth Wallen, Listen to the Trees, screenshot of touchscreens. For more see: http://www.ruthwallen.com/listentotrees Socratea exorrhiza, the walking palm or cashapona, is a palm native to rainforests in tropical Central and South America. It can grow to 25 metres in height, with a stem diameter of up to 16cm, [1] but is more typically 15–20m tall and 12cm in diameter. [2] It has unusual stilt roots, the function of which has been debated. Many species of epiphyte have been found growing on the palms. The palm is pollinated by beetles, and various organisms eat its seeds or seedlings. Rain also helps ensure there are plenty of nutrients available from decomposing organic matter such as leaves, twigs, bark, etc. This provides essential nourishment for the tree’s growth and development. By breaking down these materials into simpler forms, rain enables them to be absorbed more easily by soil organisms. This process allows them to access vital minerals required by living things like nitrogen phosphorus, potassium, etc.

Like the Ents from JRR Tolkien’s epic Lord of the Rings saga (only a bit slower), these trees actually move across the forest as the growth of new roots gradually relocates them, sometimes two or three centimetres per day. While some scientists debate whether these trees walk, Peter Vrsansky, a palaeobiologist from the Earth Science Institute of the Slovak Academy of Sciences Bratisla, claims to have seen this phenomenon first hand. In addition to the Harrison’s my work is in conversation with many others including Martin Prechtel, Pauline Boss, Joanna Macy’s work that reconnects, and the three tenets of the Zen Peacemakers, which are vital to understanding the process of bearing witness to dying trees. To immerse the listener even further into the soundscape, critically acclaimed sound and field recording artist Gary Moore, of Springwatch/Autumnwatch fame, has been involved to help bring nature even further to the ears. Intertwined between the music are field recordings specific to area and habitat; whether it be the sound of a ship's horn in Poole harbour, avocets on the scrape, the tawny owl in the woodland or Puffins on the ledges of cliffs. Omar C. Stewart, Forgotten Fires: Native Americans and the transient wilderness edited and with introductions by Henry T. Lewis and M. Kat Anderson (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2022).

Trees in neighborhoods lead to less crime

Peering up at these tall sentinels I reflect on the efforts of the early settlers to describe the gigantic dimensions of what they saw. No calipers were big enough to measure their diameter. Triangulation of their height was a rough approximation at best. Socratea exorrhiza (Cashapona) «Rainforest Conservation Fund". Archived from the original on 2017-09-17 . Retrieved 2011-04-12. The trunk is used in the construction of houses and other structures. While some prior research has shown that green spaces reduce crime in urban settings, it may be that trees are even more effective. My own tree course is an attempt to focus awareness on trees – in and of themselves, but also as utterly essential components in providing oxygen, keeping the hydrological cycle going, preventing soil erosion, offering habitat, shelter and foods for many millions of species of flora and fauna, offering medicines and foods to humans, and effecting positive changes to our immune systems. Walking With Trees invites us to step outside of our usual ways of thinking and into the immense world of trees. It is a call for us to go deeper, expand our consciousness, awareness and eco-literacy, to let go of conditioning, to think and act like ecological beings ourselves. We are given ways to use their tremendous wisdom for how we approach our own lives and our care for Earth.