Hurrah for her! Black walnut is native to America, but like its human native relatives, comparatively rare.
A newspaper man in upstate New York years ago had a column in the Corning Leader describing native plants and animals of the eastern forested states.
According to him there was solid broadleaf forest from the northeast to the Carolinas.
He commented in a column that, theoretically at least, a squirrel could travel from Corning NY to Carolina without touching the ground.
52
I’m working very hard at this. I wrote a poem a while back called “Elegy for my Trees.” I wrote it one year, when my desert home had too much rain and water. I had said,”petrichor turns to putrefaction!” But here in the Southwest we are back in a terrible drought. I lost 6 tall Afghan Pines to pine bark beetle. Tap, Tap Tap went the woodpeckers devouring the beetles! They had tapped enough into a tree that it was ready to teeter over. I have now started planting Cypress Leylandi!
24
Brilliant! Six trees in six years needs to be a global campaign.
Everyday should be Arbor Day.
78
Thank you for this article. Diana's life and work are so inspiring. She has written at least eight books, all are very much worth reading! She is not only knowledgeable, but has real wisdom and I am so happy that more and more people are hearing about her. She has devoted her life to trees and forests and is helping to save the tree vast numbers of tree species that used to make up the forests of North America.
56
Articles like this keep me as a subscriber. Thanks.
146
Thank you NY Times for giving me a breath of fresh air in troubled times when I opened this beautiful article.
I have spent hours in forests from Boreal to the Redwoods to the mountains as a way to refresh and recharge for years.
78
Anyone intrigued by the tension between the scientific and the mystic should read Wohlleben's "The hidden life of trees".
After a lifelong career as german forester, based on his observations in the forest, he developed a theory of tree-communication and cooperation which approached the mystical - only to be later substantiated by scientific discoveries documenting huge fungus-based networks connecting trees doing just that by transporting signaling molecules and resources.
89
Here in Sarasota we have my former classmate Canopy Meg who’s worked all over the world doing similar important work. I certainly am glad to hear there is growing interest in these folks and our living, breathing trees.
41
Wonderful ideas! But, at least in this article, yet another example of ignoring runaway global population which, if we don’t get its growth under control and in fact decrease, will make moot any other measures such as those described in this article.
24
@B. - Pleeeeease inform yourself about the real progress that has been ongoing regarding population growth.
Excellent source here
https://ourworldindata.org/world-population-growth
It also links right at the start to other in-depth data sets about fertility, life expectancy etc.
The rate of population increase peaked 60 years ago, and the global average fertility rate is 2.5 - half the rate 50 years ago.
We do have to rein ourselves in, but on the population front, there really is success. It's slow and quiet, but ongoing.
But we also need to clean up the impact of each living person - and us rich folks have the most to do in that regard.
68
She is correct, of course. I often wonder if in ancient times because the forests were not yet cut if the oxygen levels in the air were significantly higher than now. And what effect that would have on human intellectual capacity.
52
When people see photos of cactus and succulent gardens in California they think those are drought hardy plants from around the world. Not true- very few can take our very long rainless summers. Those gardens need some and consistent summer water. Our natives do not. Climate change got a jump on me as I now try to add natives instead of Jade Plants.
33
Great article but I think it's quite remiss in not mentioning Indigenous "Canadians" who are flighting for the same goals as Dr. Beresford-Kroeger. They are ridiculed and rejected from scientific discussions of climate change due to their spiritual connection to and understanding of the land. The same people who successfully stewarded "Canadian" lands through hundreds of thousands of years of human use are the same people who are the key to saving it now. It's important to recognize the similarities between this Celtic worldview and the Indigenous North American ones, and reflect on why one is valued and one is ridiculed. The truest solution is giving land back to Indigenous "Canadians" and stewarding with them. https://landback.org/
89
so glad I could read about a wonderful person doing wonderful things, as most of the world is focused on an evil man in Russia.
48
Thanks NYT for highlighting this one woman’s inspiring efforts to wake us all up from our destructive ecological impulses and to reorient us to our forgotten neighbours, the trees. As in civic life, we have duties and responsibilities as stewards of this beautiful earth.
51
Dr. Beresford-Kroeger sounds like Albert Einstein 100 years ago. She shows a profound knowledge about forests and plants. "I was laughed" was also a comment from Einstein when he presented his findings to the scientific community. A new "Manhattan Project" to save the planet is urgently needed. She sounds as the natural leader. America loves talented immigrants.
33
More information at Diana’s website calloftheforest.ca
32
Wonderful story, especially today with such terrible headlines. I don't get to walk in my favorite forest much now but find the trees even in a cemetery greatly relaxing.
26
If nothing else this article impresses upon the reader that EVERYONE can do SOMETHING. Cannot plant a tree? Consider small patches of native plants and wildflowers scattered throughout yards and neighborhoods. Even a small patch provides much needed nutrients to bees, birds, beneficial insects ext. Equate them to the mini-marts humans frequent on their long road trips.
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@MBEE
Anyone who can restore a forest and enlist the Hell's Angels to help her is treasure to society.
58
@MBEE "Everyone can do something"--so true, and yet this message seems absent in relation to climate change. There are many ways each person can help--decrease individual consumption; turn the heat down a degree; drive slower, drive less; eat less meat, plant trees . . .
30
@theskinny
And vote for candidates that prioritize climate emergency solutions and do not accept fossil fuel $. It is important in all local and national elections. Apparently, a study found that many people who care about the environment don't vote.
33
To Times Readers.
Beautiful article about wonderful work of Dr. Berensford-Kroeger. I'll be planting some Bur Oaks here in Germansville PA this spring. The forest really can do healing work.
Submitted by ROGER LATZGO www.rogerlatzgo.com
Germansville PA
14
Yes, we should all plant trees, lots of trees to mitigate climate change and heal our human spirits. But I don't understand talking about trees without talking about the whole eco-system around them: the birds, the insects and many other life forms. The most common native trees in one's own area are usually the best ones, especially oak trees. Before you plant, check out your local and state native plant societies and read Doug Tallamy's "Bringing Nature Home" and https://homegrownnationalpark.org/
39
@Jan P
Yes, plant oaks. It is not a tree, it is an entire environment. An oak tree supports more insect and animal life than another other in America. Very much worth reading is Tallamy's other book "The Nature of Oaks: the rich ecology of our most essential natives trees
25
@Jan P
Agree. Dr.Tallamy's presentation is also on YouTube. Your local Native Plant or Audubon Society also might have it on their channel with commentary on the native plants and trees most beneficial for pollinators, birds, and wildlife in your area. Even a container on a balcony can attract native bumblebees or hummingbirds, providing food where there's no native plants.
13
If you’ve ever experienced a forest recently “harvested” or clear cut the scene of violence and degradation is heart breaking. It’s a broken and twisted landscape. Often there is not a tree or bush not crushed. You may weep.
Timber companies often leave a bit of shoulder forest along the highways to block close up views of clear cuts. It gives tourists the impression of healthy boreal forest - not the devastation that lies beyond.
65
@Macbloom yes, soul crushing.
24
This article provides welcome refreshment, in spite of our war torn world, and particularly in view of your utterly tragic front page news story today. If you have not read Richard Powers' book, The Overstory, please do. He's quoted in this article. It's an epic story that enlightens, educates, and delights. A must read in my view. Stick with it, it's not such an easy read. You have to concentrate and read slowly. The characters are people and trees, wonderfully alive and vital.
31
Dr. Beresford-Kroeger's book, "To Speak for the Trees," is available in the U.S. from Timber Press: https://www.workman.com/products/to-speak-for-the-trees/paperback?_ga=2.75713749.1189523698.1645725541-257871501.1645725541
15
What a much-needed salve after today's headlines.
15
Great article.
Several years ago my eyes were opened in wonder when I read
"The Hidden Life of Trees." I now have a sense of awe evrytime I look at a tree.
20
Wonderful, elegiac, encouraging in the face of our discouragement.
I have known several great trees in my life. There is a weeping beech in PA that I recall . The branches and leaves come all of the way down to the ground. It is huge. When you push in it is the size of a circus tent and you can sense the extra oxygen. And there is the lovely green light in there as well.
My little grandson has loved the oak in my back yard since he was tiny. He would toddle over and embrace it with his ear to the massive trunk.
I have had to cut down a big tree on my city lot when it became dangerous. I had arborists come and try to preserve it but in every storm it would launch a giant , heavy limb either down or arcing and sailing out into the narrow streets. I became convinced that it would kill someone. It was a sycamore and very beautiful but they are notorious for breaking. I still felt some regret because a 100 year old tree has a presence.
There is a lot of life lived up there in the canopy as well-
I try to sleep outside under the oak a couple of times a year.
What a wonderful report and I hope to read more about which trees are best and more about this wonderful scientist.
38
I remember reading that the druids worshipped the acorn. For in it was the source of great life - the mighty oak.
21
Excellent article… all I can say is MORE, please!
47
Thank You for your hard work that gave you information to pass on to others.
Many Blessings to You and your Husband.
LJ
17
This is a beautiful article. Thank you.
19
How lovely and how supremely important!
Dr Bereford Kroeger has my vote to join Dr Jane Goodall as High Priestesses of Holistic Science for planet Earth. May we be wise enough to follow their leads.
39
I am so taken with the work of Dr. Beresford-Kroeger that I want to read all of her books. I too have experienced the calming effects of old growth redwoods by hiking in the Redwood National Forest in Northern California. It is like walking in a dream while the trees communicate to you through their taciturn majesty while releasing aerosols into the atmosphere. Some we saw were estimated to be 2000 years old. They were saplings when Jesus Christ walked the earth. Think of all the fires they have survived to still be alive after thousands of years. There are several foundations in CA dedicated to preserving the land they inhabit and of course the National Park Service protects them too. Our tax dollars put to good use. When you walk among them you feel their inherent resilience and it puts your own life in perspective. They smell good too.
47
After reading Understory, I followed up by reading Dr. Suzanne Simard's Finding the Mother Tree which chased isotopes to prove the validity of the plant communities of trees.
Thank you for introduction to another well schooled iconoclastic tree lover.
My friend, carpenter and poet David Bean wrote this one:
Trees are water, rising to the sun
light grasping earth, with roots of wisdom.
He is especially incensed at clear-cutting which he calls a war on old trees which is a world wide industrial policy. It has diminished the capacity for the earth to hold water resulting in the increase of floods, droughts and then wildfires.
A carpenter, he knows this without the imprimatur of science. Science after all runs on money and money comes from clear -cutting, and nothing is as quick, safe and cheap as that money maker. Well, unless you figure in the fires.
Thanks for the introduction.
27
Manmade climate change is caused by human population growth. Any attempt to rescue the environment that doesn't focus on reversing human population growth is doomed to failure. Planting trees is a strategy of avoidance.
8
@William Case Birth rates have plunged. So population growth is reversing. We have to act now, and can't just throw up our hands and say, "but it is doomed to failure." We can have trees and people, and indeed must have trees regardless of human population lows or highs. The main fear now is that as people attain higher standards of living, which is accompanied by lower birth rates, the environmental destruction is greater, as people eat more meat and consume more energy.
21
@Honna Steissberg
Birth rates have plunged in some counties, but globally they are still are far above replacement level. In a few countries, they are below replacement level, but theses countries facilitate global population growth by accepting immigrants from countries with high birthrates. Human population at its current level is destroying the environment. Plant trees. It will make you feel like an ecological hero, but don't pretend it will stop manmade climate change.
13
@William Case
So true, and if we don't get a handle on world population then we may as well give up.
Any Countries that allow high levels of immigration are just exacerbating the problem which is why I am strongly opposed to the numbers we have had.
12
Great for you, Diana. But, let's not overlook the intelligence of the forest. "The forest knows what to do." Forests create their own microclimates. And it seems that evolutionary theory holds well in the scenario of global warming--as the "central network mycelium bank" tends to reward trees with the ability to withstand higher temperatures more resources.
14
We will remember her name as we remember Socrates in the near future.
Thank you for this.
18
Fantastic profile of a remarkable person and her amazing work! Best article of the day. What an inspiration and gift to the world she is. Thank you.
54
What an inspiration! My little yard is filled with trees I have planted. It looks crazy next to the manicured lawns of my neighbors, but I don't care. Trees are my way of trying to create an oasis for the animals in my neighborhood and to help me deal with my overwhelming sadness about climate change. As a science teacher, I am doing a tree planting project in connection to the chemistry of climate change. I will be sure to use the wise Dr. Diane Beresford-Kroeger's book as a teaching tool!
89
There is zero archaeological evidence to suggest that the Keltoi inhabited any part of Great Britain or Ireland. The term Celtic derives from compounded errors in the interpretation of history and the current confusion about Celticness derives in large part from amateur historians misinterpreting facts in the 17th and 18th Century. There is no such thing as a British or Irish Celt, it's a total nonsense. Furthermore there is absolutely no basis for any assertion concerning Druidic culture, what the druids did or knew is a complete mystery since they left no historical record at all and most of what you read about them is entirely fictional. However that's not to say that there is not ancient wisdom concerning nature, it's just that it is neither Celtic or Druidic. I am sure that Dr. Beresford-Kroeger is a wonderful person whose work regarding trees is invaluable, despite any references to a made up culture.
19
@john wallis No historical record? I guess you've never heard of "Immacallam in da Thuarad" or "Dialogue of the Two Druids", a text recorded in the Book of Leinster.
Even if the term Celt has been loosely used in the past, it is currently understood today to refer to a defined set of cultures.
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/uk/who-were-the-celts-it-s-complicated-1.2410501
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@john wallis
You know Caesar wrote about the Druids. Biased author but still a witness. And Celtic has multiple meanings some not associated with Ireland at all and used in Neolithic archaeology. You need to upgrade your information base.
39
@john wallis
Whatever she is, she is not Anglo-Saxon; not 100% and that is something in her favor.
12
This is why NYC and New York State's embrace of hydropower from Canada is such a travesty. Hydro Quebec floods millions of acres of boreal forest for hydropower with significant greenhouse gas emissions (new science and calculations from their own data). They say they have no plans to build more and that the emissions are only for 15 years (they object to the methodology by an MIT professor showing that is not true). Have energy companies ever lied in the past? Oh, and they flood first nations land without permission, poisoning the fish first nations depend on for food with methyl mercury.
54
@Kathleen M Hydro Electricity may require flooding of some boreal forest. The energy produced is clean and will continue to provide for possibly centuries if maintained. We need to look at all types of renewable energy resources to help us transition from fossil fuels. The energy that NYState would buy from Quebec comes from hydro electric stations that have been in operation for decades and Quebec Hydro also has an excellent sustainability, reforestation, plant diversity and fish protection plans in place. Quebec Hydro is not a private organization as is part of the Gov. of Quebec. Quebecers voice our opinions and act to ensure that the forests, rivers, lakes are developed sustainably, and they do, otherwise they get voted out of power unlike Private Energy companies. Quebecers love their land, nature and fight to protect it.
33
@Kathleen M Thank you for this information. I was totally unaware of all this. Please post some links and sources so people like myself can educate ourselves more on these disturbing tradeoffs.
12
I'm always skeptical of these people. Appearing on the Jane Fonda show doesn't dispel my skepticism. A forest is more than a collection of trees - it's a complex ecosystem that has evolved over thousands of years, and includes all other living species that found a niche in that process.
I applaud her enthusiasm and determination, and she is pursuing a great cause. But I remain skeptical that what she's doing amounts to little more than a feel good gesture. What's more important is to raise the profile of the challenge and get the people behind pushing decision-makers in the right direction.
23
I just finished her book, ‘Speak for the Trees.’ I recommend reading and learning more above her work before dismissing her out of hand based on one article. She’s been doing research since the early ‘60’s. You’re only hearing about her now because she’s coming to the sunset of her life and her work is only now breaking through. She made critical discoveries and contributed mightily to science long before she appeared on Jane Fonda’s show. Cynicism is unproductive.
178
@marco
Your admonishment to push decision makers is effective only at shifting the solution onto people in power. There are roughly 4 lobbyists for every elected official in DC. Few of those lobbyists are talking about anything other than big business needs.
As I was reading this article, what came to mind is THIS is what people need to be doing, not marching and waving signs or starting another tedious hashtag-someone-should-do-something campaign.
37
@marco Without people like Dr. Beresford-Kroeger and their, as you put it, "feel good gestures", how do you expect any interest in the subject? The profile of the challenge has been raised over and over throughout my 60-some years of life and yet, NOTHING has pushed the decision-makers substantially in the right direction. Those like Dr. Beresford-Kroeger set an example and raise hope --- they show something can be done and all of these small somethings will raise the profile of the challenge more than the ongoing politicism that currently keeps anything from happening. In the meantime, what are you doing to help?
59
Excellent article! After experiencing a clearcut right next door to our property, two friends and I started a non-profit organization, www.ourforestfund.org, to save the trees we have left. Planting trees is great, but let's stop chopping down the ones we still have!
39
@Kebabullah So sorry you witnessed industrial scale logging (aka clear cutting) so close to your home. Clear cutting is terrible for all the reasons you probably know: completely destroying a connected forest entity, negatively affecting soil quality, increasing erosion, etc. But please don’t make the mistake of painting all tree cutting with the same brush. Living in WA State I’m sure you’ve heard the term “ over stocked” to describe those forests, which in times past were naturally thinned by fire, now dangerously dense just waiting for lightening or careless people to create an inferno. Selective thinning of these forests, leaving lots of big fire-resistant trees, taking care not to compact soil, trying to mimic what low intensity fires did for millennia to help shape vibrant and healthy forests is not a bad thing.
5
The strategy to plant six trees goes hand in hand with Doug Tallamy's strategy of a "Homegrown National Park," outlined in his book, "Nature's Best Hope." The National Wildlife Foundation even has a native plant finder, based on zip code (though it is not, specifically, a listing of plants that will tolerate warming).
16
It might be in vain but I am scurrying to plant hundreds of pine cones and seedlings in my backyard. I dunno even if I will live to see them as I live in the suburbs where people value property more than flora and fauna. Just yesterday a 1/2 bushel of Iris. The previous autumn daffodils. I love reading about your gardening endeavors and professional peers as it provides inspiration for me a mere plebeian surviving this pandemic and dreary Thursday. TYSM NYT
27
That's it. I"m making a pin that says "do something with your life, plant six trees". :)
37
He book brought me to a beautiful place during Covid and inspired me and my friends to gift each other trees for our birthdays and moreover further connect with the divine nature and wisdom of trees - what a treat to read this article ! Thank you for highlighting this amazing person!
31
As one who spends a great deal of time planting and talking to trees, I and all of my hamadryad friends thank you and the good Dr. Beresford-Kroeger for putting the word out on the essential life and unrelenting work of trees.
45
On such an ugly day, with the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, it was a breath of fresh air to read this article. Thank you NYT for sharing this beautiful message of hope.
128
Thanks for publishing this...and introducing us to this amazing woman. Trees and nature are our living church...and our planet needs help via tens of millions of new plantings of trees each year to counter what us humans have done over the past 3-400 years. A massive world-wide tree planting movement is needed now...
55
I wonder if she knows that there are surviving old growth forest areas in New England? Article in the January 2022 issue of the Smithsonian magazine "The Old Man and the Tree"
23
@sjs YES great article and there will be an Old Growth Forest event in Hartford on April 9th at Real Art Ways. Here is the article: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-old-man-and-the-tree-180979242/
2
I have read Ms. Beresford-Kroeger’s book “The Sweetness of a Simple Life” and viewed a couple of films in which she has appeared. She is a remarkable human being and inspirational. Forests are so important. I wish people would leave their cell phones behind when they’re in nature. Technology interferes with the magic of being with these lifeforms.
40
Stillskeptical,
wish they would close their mouthes too. We walked through the Muir redwoods in Ca. a couple of years ago.! Truly a majestic cathedral of trees and peace and solemnity, until we encountered other humans. Music blaring and nonstop blathering about unimportant things. It felt sacrilegious to me and I’m agnostic.
28
If only there were millions more of her around the world. She is an exceptional human being among many more that are never heard or the wisdom heeded.
So sad that the souless crazies get all the attention.
57
Thank you New York Times.
58
An-mhaith. Tá sé seo go hinotach.
21
Loved reading this, thank you. If the sacred or scientific connection between humans and the rest of the Earth are understood or felt ... Whichever way that individual operates, maybe the disrespect and harm to this home can be lessened.
23
We need more gardeners, and a landscape that reflects all forms of healthy…planet, people. The joke is in the question, ‘when is the best to plant a tree?’ 20 years ago. ‘ When the next best time?’ Now!
32
We're all connected. Humans. Animals. Plants. Environments. Ecosystems. The sooner we discover this, the better off we will be. Dr. Beresford-Kroeger gets it.
56
@Helena That the world's leaders may hear you today. Thank you.
10
The Druids, among many other ancient cultures, understood the value and necessity of being in tune with the natural world.
They understood that to cause harm to the “mother” that “birthed” and sustained them was blasphemy to all life.
Then the ancient cultures modernized and, for the most part, forgot their ancient wisdom which was lost to the draw of mammon; thus putting money and power above all living sustenance and the health of the environment in a downward tailspin.
It wasn’t supposed to be this way….
28
I wish the media would write more about fascinating women like her, and less about celebrities.
271
It's correct that the type of trees aren't mentioned in the article, I wish the reporter had made it more clear that you should do your own research. The native trees to plant depends on your state, I found this:
https://ctpa.org/connecticuts-native-trees/
I feel like it's one thing I can do. I hope it's not too late.
40
For US residents your local county's agricultural extension office is the place to go for this sort of information. They are typically connected to a local university- in New Jersey Rutgers and in New York Cornell- and are a great source of credible information about what and what not to grow in your area. They have a wealth of educational materials available for free online and also offer Master Gardener training programs for those wanting to take their skills to the next level.
24
What an amazing woman and story. Let’s start planting trees now!
25
Another excellent insight is the book The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben. Awesome that these people are in our world and thank you NYT for sharing their stories.
36
Is there anything more gratifying in life than planting a tree and watching it grow year after year?
33
Fascinating article about a fascinating person and her work. As a fellow Irishwoman I am sorry she is lost to Ireland. I have a somewhat similar question to Susan from Germany. What sort of trees does she grow - at one point it sounded like they would be suitable for all the planet and then later it seemed that she was working with Canadian species and repatriating some of them. Can they or at least some of them be grown everywhere? Perhaps she has a book on this topic and it would be useful to know which one. As she would know, but the writer may not know, Ireland was heavily deforested over the centuries particularly by the English military and colonists, the former by burning forests and woodlands to rout out Irish rebels hiding there and the latter by cutting down oak and other wood to send to England for shipbuilding etc. We now have the lowest tree cover in Europe. We have just had three storms in a row in about a week, Dudley Eunice and Franklin and as I write we still have unnamed winds howling outside. Ireland's destiny in climate change is to become wetter (hard to imagine!) warmer and windier. An objective study of Dr Beresford-Kroeger's work might yield ways to help us defend our island from climate change before it gets worse
43
Thanks Cara and thanks Diana. Underground they are connected, in nature's neural network. They communicate and help each other out. Perhaps Solomon should have said: Go to the trees . . . consider their ways and be wise. What better way to store carbon? Have you seen Medicine Man lately?
12
I am a communist. There are 23 gigantic Oak Trees that are behind my house. I often follow the path that leads to the center of the woods. Sitting place a tumble of roots that feed a towering tree. I am not thrilled to list species that have survived. Us. We are backwards here. That is why we live here. It always jolts biologists when they have been wrong. However, the biologists this time are correct. No one has seen a red wolf. No pounding Woodpeckers. They have been eradicated (the pecking for insects is just too loud). The State has already killed the red wolves. There are none left. Zero red wolves, do not come here, do not visit this place. Stay away. This is where Homo sapiens bump up against another time. The rings of a fallen oak. Over 1,000 years old. It's okay if you don't believe me. But tourism has had a tsunami of devastation. Visits us and stays. Appalachia itself is a crawling network of coal mines and mountaintop removal. I have never seen a black tourist on Main Street which is where the white tourists come because the sun is frying them at home. We breathe all the pollution from the industrial Ohio River Valley. My oak trees are under assault. Neighbor cutting down my oaks. Lumber is bucks. A moment. Big Girl decisions. I am Asperger’s. I have dementia. All I remember is he is not my neighbor any more. I guess I paid him off. To leave the blue ridge. Hopefully his friends might follow him. The Blue Ridge was more than he could take. I put him on the bus.
22
And why not list the varieties of trees and optimal areas for planting them?
I grew up on land in an area sacred to the Six Nations. It was clear they had planted trees that were not local, all nut trees. An artesian spring and under ground aquifer allowed magnificent specimens. Recently new home owners cut them down because they shaded the grass. What fools.
26
@poslug
There is grass that will grow under deep shade. With all of the information available all it takes is a bit of research to figure these things out. I do think that it is OK to clear a patch of sun for flowers and vegetables. But trees are so beneficial-they cool the air around them, they do help capture the rain, they provide O2, they improve the soil in ways that we are only beginning to comprehend, they provide homes for birds and squirrels, children appreciate them in a deep way that adults have forgotten in many cases.
In a house that I no longer have there was a massive tree much respected by the first people for its very strong wood for bows and arrows. It was called a Bois d'arc; also an Osage Orange. The huge fruits were not edible but had astringent and insect repelling properties. It was also so strong and durable that settlers used it for hedgerows and windbreaks. This was a single specimen and quite glorious. They are not so prevalent in the wild anymore as they "got in the way" of farms and ranches.
Old timers would note our tree and explain why it was special and note the sad fate of its brethren.
6
Beautiful
9
I love this reporting but . . . where are the pictures of her trees?!!! I can't believe there aren't any!
15
Interesting that she left academia due to anti-Irish sentiment. . .
6
I love hearing about this woman, and I can’t wait to share this (gift this free) to my Twitter followers - especially the ones who went to UCC!
But for the record: EVERYONE that’s Irish is descended from Irish kings! That’s how many kings there were in Ireland!
(I’m O’Donnell.)
Susan - Expat
14
THANK YOU FOR THIS
14
I find the people who scoff at her ideas absurd, the connection between ancient peoples and the forest’s medicinal properties is half of the reason our species has survived and prospered. Science is only now proving the ancient intelligence these cultures understood through their daily relationship with the primeval structures of nature. I am so grateful to learn of the existence of this dear woman who is using her time to create a better future and lives in simple, holistic means without the present day distractions of technology. What an enlightening, hopeful read after the devastating headlines today. I only wish there were more photos of the trees and her orchard. Thank you, Diana, for your wondrous work.
47
Not to be the sour puss of the patch but why not write her books on a computer? Does she write them on, ahem . . . paper? I hope it's recycled paper!
6
Trees are a renewable resource and paper can be repulped and reformed.
8
@hmmmm
Hmmmm you are true to your name!!
1
Reading this article where she mentions that Europeans razed a lot of North American forest that Native populations understood, I am once again struck by how the “discovery” of the Americas was a massive missed opportunity for humanity. The Europeans of that time failed to see that the Native populations had an eco-friendly relationship with the land. This knowledge was, and is, incredibly valuable. But it was mostly destroyed in the pursuit of wealth and the superficial trappings of civilization. We have badly mistreated our Mother Earth. And, as usual, knowledge and learning is not valued as much as the mighty dollar. So here we are.
I hope we can rebuild this knowledge for every part of the globe. We need this knowledge. Knowledge/science is the only path forward.
Tax the rich to help fund more research into sustainable ecology in the climate change era. Yes. Tax the rich. Enough of constantly losing everything important because people are so greedy.
25
As a horticulturist, I notice people here are asking which trees, unspecified in this article, are more tolerant of climate change etc. Likely these trees are not necessarily different species of trees, but select varieties of native trees chosen for their resilience.
14
When humans cut down a forest, it is usually for profit as in the palm industry., building shopping malls, and over priced homes , orfor parking lots for buildings that contribute to climate change.There are lawns across suburbia that now surrond homes instead of forests. More people should read about Dr. Beresford-Kroeger tounderstand the importane of trees.
17
This is a beautiful article about Dr. Beresford-Kroeger whom I never heard of before. It would do our modern world wonders to regain both a spiritual and physical attachment to the natural world.
26
While I appreciate her efforts, this seems almost quaint by comparison to the willful disregard for Climate Change globally.
When the right wing takes control of congress in Nov, any pending legislation to replace fossil fuel will end. Via the rubric of energy independence, all restrictions on exploration and fracking will be removed. Biden will attempt to impede the destruction with his veto, but the republican supermajority control of congress will sweep his objections into the trash.
The large utilities will surcharge solar powered homes with grid fees (already started in California) and thereby thwart the transition to green energy.
Ms. Kroeger's voice is analogous to a tree falling in a forest. No one is listening.
13
History Buff, Tucson
Yes, we are listening. Every commenter here is listening.
19
@History Buff Many are listening, many are sharing, many are called to action, although many are calmer, quieter, kinder, and more rational than is desirable for sensationalist media (entertainment) coverage. So, they may be invisible to those who cannot feel the spirit and value of old growth forests like this beautiful Celtic goddess/scientist. The many must assure their will is unmistakably expressed in a peaceful little ritual call voting.
19
@History Buff — but cynicism is NOT helpful or encouraging toward progress of any kind.
6
Just months before the pandemic hit I went to Japan Society to hear Dr. Yoshifumi Miyazaki talk about shinrin yoku (forest bathing). His scientific data shows all the good to happen to us on the cellular level when we are in forests (or even high-rise apartments abundant with plant/small tree life as it is for him in Japan). In his book, Shinrin Yoku, he presents his laboratory results from decades of research to prove without doubt we are one with nature as pretty much all the ancient cultures had come to know before Industrial Revolution attacked the natural world and had replaced it with what we have become today.
25
After waking to news of Russia initiating war, this story felt like medicine to me. Thank goodness for all the people writing, planting, speaking up about the value of our trees. I’m living in a yard with many trees which bring us birds and wildlife and shade in Florida.
48
@Marilyn Roofner. Exactly as i felt.
6
@Marilyn Roofner Yes! It was a balm and a bright spot! Thank you, NYTimes, for bringing the inspiration of this woman and her lifelong perspective into a challenging moment of autocratic insanity.
13
This article touched me. I work with disabled man, and we hike in in the woodlands outside of Boston. Long before we met, we each felt a connection to trees. We share this as we walk, communing with the forest. There lies a deep, healing power in our time there.
31
I wonder what measures she takes against deer predation. We are trying to restore 60 acres of multi age multi species forest in NY state but the sheer number of white tailed deer ensure that nothing survives.
9
@MPlaut
You have to wrap the trees in barbed wire and then build a fence around that to keep the deer from eating the saplings. Too many deer.
10
What a timely reminder of some sensible ways to learn from a master something to begin to protect our atmosphere.
This now, today of all days, while the world frets over the financials of carbon-fuel futures.
Predictably, Dr. Beresford-Kroeger's key element is sustainable biodiversity; not simply the right trees, but the right supporting components in the microbiomes, soils, bacteria, fungi, decomposers, insects, and all the consumers up the many different food chains.
Can we learn?
23
The trees that I’ve seen the doctor recommend on her calloftheforest.ca website are very large. I wish she would also recommend smaller trees for our urban yards.
11
I feel better just having read this article today. Thank you, Cara Buckley and Dr. Diana Beresford-Kroeger. More books to add to my list and a possible course for my over 55 learning group.
23
A good nursery is a rare find. I’m fortunate to have found one years ago after we moved from the city to Harpers Ferry, WV. I did my research and asked lots of questions. The horticultural experts at the nursery were invaluable.
Over the years, I started planting trees very selectively, noting their growing needs within the 10 acre property we bought. I have considered their over all features, but also whether they are special hybrids that will withstand our growing zone (5-6), as well as their resistance to disease and invasive insects, and whether they provide food for wildlife in the winter months.
Thus, I have planted hybrid birch, magnolia, elm, beech, chestnut, oaks, maples, zelkova, and other species that have thrived, mostly. So, yes, buy selectively and buy from reputable nurseries and enjoy their presence on your property.
19
There is no going back. Global warming is occurring and nothing anyone does will reverse it. It's time to accept that human hubris can wreck the world but cannot put it back together again. Never has; never will. The generations of the past 150 years have condemned the future to this fate.
8
@Joe Oh, but Joe - Giving up is never an option. Just sit back and watch the world burn? No. We maintain hope, plant our trees, write our books, and continue to love and respect our home and each other (some of us, regardless of species). Earth may change, may be very different, but she's still our home. We can wave while we watch the uber-wealthy fly off in their spaceships to far more intolerable and challenging landscapes.
11
The site "Call of the Forest" has a link for an area's recommended trees (in Canada & the US) and also a way to stream the movie
17
It is my understanding that the author of ‘The Overstory’ Richard Powers, based a main character on scientist/ecologist Dr Suzanne Simard.
4
@JW The character is based on both Simard and Beresford-Kroeger.
2
Our bureaucracy pays to cut not to keep.
12
Great feature, would have loved to hear more about the species she's chosen for her property.
6
What a balm this article was after reading about the frantic chaos the Ukrainian people are experiencing. Most of us gardeners know the spiritual gifts bestowed by our plants. Every Spring is a miracle. Look forward to reading her books. Please NYTs, keep publishing articles like this. We all need to know about the many who quietly go about this earth with only positive intentions.
45
We need more of this. This also smashes current stereotypes.
18
If world leaders had to pass a test on understanding Dr. Beresford-Kroeger 's ideas, and then enforce them, we would be in a much better place.
Her ideas on cultural history may or may not be accurate, but add to her delightful formation of thought. She is a diamond of the first class.
19
Which trees?!?
6
@O.Grady I note a number of responses that complain of this; perhaps as a landscape architect these mentioned in the article popped out: Juglans nigra (Black Walnut), Picea abies 'Nidifromis' (Bird's Nest Spruce), Quercus macrocarpa (Bur Oak) and Sequoia sempervirens (Sequoia). Having just driven coast to coast, I am well aware that they will not grow everywhere, but it's a start. Another reader responded with a link to a more extensive published listing.
5
This an important topic. A lot of research has been done and continues. Check out Dr Suzanne Simard’s work as well.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/12/02/magazine/tree-communication-mycorrhiza.html
Read ‘The Overstory’ and ‘The Hidden Life of Trees’. Amazing documentary on this subject called ‘Intelligent Trees’.
8
A story about trees and only one photograph of a dwarf spruce. Did I miss something?
8
When I told my daughter I was suffering from the mental (and environmental) ills of living in nation's fastest growing city, she invited me up last week to the Boundary Waters to cross-country ski. I'd never experienced these MN woods and lakes in summer, much less winter. On a remote trail I finally witnessed what I had wanted to see all my life -- a virgin white pine! How tall and alone it stood above that second-growth forest, a sad yet hopeful reminder what has been lost and what, miraculously, remains. In the deep winter quiet of the Far North, I could both see and hear the clarion call from Dr. Beresford-Kroeger's life-long work. She is my new hero, a Wendell Berry of the boreal forests.
48
What fun to be reading this online (thereby saving trees), as I am sure that many readers are doing. Having recently moved across the USA to the CA Sierra, I am now surrounded by incredibly tall evergreens, and can feel the calm that they promote. Interestingly, when I cancelled my paper version for online only, the NYTimes representative encouraged me to add a paper version for a discount. But, when he tried, he could not find anyone to deliver the print version here...
24
@William Menke
same
while i would like to look at the full NYT
i'm glad i don't have accumulate it
plus i don't want to subscribe
for more than $1 a week
Thanks for covering the work of Dr. Beresford-Kroeger, which was particularly welcome in the morning of this dark day. I'm curious where there were no photos of the forest that she grew. That certainly would have been more to the point than the painting of her as a child! But mostly thank you for the article.
30
I too read this piece after others about Ukraine and while it can’t exactly antidote the obscenity of war, this woman has calmed me, much as sitting against our “Grandma Tree” on our land does. But I hear it’s not enough. I scrolled to learn which trees she’s planted and am happy to read one species is bur oak, one that grows here. Walnuts will take a long time to establish, but I plan to plant a few this spring. Legacy planting, as I’ll be long gone before they mature. I want to thank the good doctor for a slice of hope this morning.
35
@Renée Carrier I’ve been looking at various YouTube of the doctor after reading this and discovered she has a web site that will suggest which trees to plant in your area. I don’t know why it’s not mentioned in the article. The website is calloftheforest.ca
9
Thank you for this article full of hope, which is what we all need.
Anyone who has walked in a forest, or better yet camped under trees, knows their restorative powers for the body and the mind.
I feel sorry for those who scoff at these ideas and are not open to the obvious wonders and interconnectedness of our world. It is their loss.
As we become more and more inundated with technology in every aspect of our lives, it is so important to listen to Dr. Beresford-Kroeger, especially for the sake of our children.
All children need access to and immersion in nature. It is life changing.
I so admire that she is tech free in her lifestyle.
36
@TJ One of my happiest childhood memories is walking with my mother on a hot summer day through a pine forest in northern New Jersey (almost 75 years ago now) and feeling so at peace. The pine needles were thick on the ground and the air was sweet and cool. I went back during a high school reunion to take my own children to see it - it was a housing development, with not a tree in sight. That thought still makes me sick.
20
Thich Nhat Hanh advocated hugging trees. His reverence for all of life, his vision for world peace, and his recent death which echoed over the whole world is echoing still in the work of Dr. Beresford-Kroeger. Thank you, dear woman who doesn't have a computer and goes to the library to use Zoom when she needs to.
32
This week, I had to have some very old pitch pines cut down on in my backyard. The trunks have become a natural fence line and the rest of the wood will be chipped for pathways in my gardens. I hugged each before they 'left.' They were dying and needed to be 'put to rest.' As we build our arboretum in our front and back yards, already, I have planned the dense evergreens and a few deciduous trees which will be planted and give shelter to our colonies of birds. My space is slightly under a half-acre. . .we can build our natural communities even on small plots. And yes, we are all healthier for their presence.
33
@Nancy Rose Steinbock When we’ve had to take out dead or dying trees, we leave part of the truck for insects and the birds that forage on them. We also leave dead wood on the ground for the same reason.
Thank you for planting more trees :)
18
@B
Yes, please leave dead trees alone if you can. Home to woodpeckers and many other species. I was watching a female downy woodpecker just a few minutes ago. They are common in Glastonbury CT because the town has many areas called Environmental Easements (used to contain river/brook flooding) which is full of dead trees for them. Owls also live in dead trees. If you can, please dead trees up.
9
@B Thanks for this!! I do the same thing -- bird houses also are attached to those we leave 10 to 15 feet high for small birds and owls. Aboslutely an important thing to do!!
3
While most of us don’t have property on which we can propagate a native forest, there is a way each of us can contribute. Natural burial grounds share the same goals of Dr. Beresford-Kroeger, and have rigorous conservation plans to restore native trees and the natural eco-system. There are some wonderful conservation burial grounds across the US, and some are certified arboretums. In Ontario, the volunteer group encouraging this is The Natural Burial Association, and in the US its The Green Burial Council. If the enthusiasm for Dr. Beresford-Kroeger’s ideas translated to end of life wishes for a natural burial, we’d be further ahead in tackling climate change.
29
I was so frantic reading about Russia and Ukraine, then I read this article and was instantly calm, and then brought to tears in the best way. I can’t describe how warm I feel knowing that there are such beautiful people on this planet. I already put “to speak for the trees” on my kindle.
109
@Bliss Forest I was moved to look for more of her talks on YouTube. (I ordered some of her books too). Her talk with Jane Fonda was particularly interesting. You might enjoy it.
10
This article is a welcome break from today's terrible news. Dr. Beresford-Kroeger is one of those people you read about and hope to get to meet someday. She's making the world a better place. It's inspiring!
My spouse and I have moved a lot for work. Every year on our anniversary we plant a young tree together. My favorite was a cedar tree in Bermuda, where a blight had wiped out 90% of the cedar trees back in the 1940s. I hope to go back and check on it someday.
44
What a cool thing to do!
3
love the mention of forest aerosols & just came back from yosemite, where john muir described the forest air as "indescribably spicy and exhilarating" with the scent of douglas spruce, pines and libocedrus trees. does some of the magic of that forest valley come from the intoxicating feeling of breathing its air?
36
@emily Would more trees in cities help reduce crime?
8
There are some wonderful thoughts expressed here, but, as my son always says, things need to be "actionable." That's why a more detailed list of the kinds of trees recommended for fighting climate change would be helpful to the reader. Certainly, it's a matter of locale and local soil and weather. But to say, "plant native trees," isn't enough anymore, simply because what is successful as being "native" in the past is changing because of the changes in climate. People need specific recommendations for the trees of the future if they're to help actually do anything.
29
@Science Teacher
Local resources aren’t that hard to find. Start with the Cooperative Extension Agent for your county. While they tend to be very mainstream and not given to the sort of spiritual connections so brilliantly detailed in this article, they will have lists of native plants. There may be a Master Gardener group in your area that can assist as well. Both groups charge nothing for their services.
Farmer’s Markets are a wealth of underutilized information. Many organic or sustainable farmers can point you to other resources or may even offer native plants and growing advice. Sounds like a cool field trip potential for students, yes?
A simple guide to what plants will adapt is to look at the USDA Plant Hardiness Zones map available with a few key strokes. Locate your growing zone and then look at the next warmer zone or two. These are the plants that will be more tolerant to heat.
Actionable doesn’t have to be handed over on a silver platter. Get yourself into action and connect with what’s local to you. That’s one of the important messages in this article. As a science teacher, research should be second nature to you or even better, make a class project!
32
Places to help ( I know because my mom planted every tree she could get her hands on): local cooperative extensions ( in my part of the world Cornell Cooperative Extension); state Department of Environmental conservation; Arbor Day Foundation.
9
Become a supporter and member of an arboretum near where you live. They will know the correct trees to plant in your area. In addition you will be helping a nonprofit that's trying to change our environment for the better. That's action in my book.
12
Where's the list of rare trees that are more resilient to climate change? Couldn't they have mentioned at least one or two besides redwoods? I have an acre of land with several large Norway maples and two sugar maples. I'd love to plant more/better trees!
93
@Vickie Get in touch with her: https://dianaberesford-kroeger.com/contact-us/
It's her literary agent, but the site is under her name.
5
@Vickie from the article: “ Outside the house, her treasured trees grow, all climate-change resistant to varying degrees: the kingnut, a blue-needled fir and a rare variant of the bur oak.” But, what is appropriate for her region may not be for yours or others.
9
@Vickie
The US Forest Service has compiled maps of the current and possible future ranges of just about every tree species in the Eastern US. https://www.fs.fed.us/nrs/atlas/
You can find your location and see which kinds of trees may do well under one of several predictive climate change models.
21
Ms Diana is, of course, a wonderful example of what needs to be done to save the forests (even without that many trees but with the canopy to sustain a most diverse fauna and flora, as part of the ecosystem that makes human life possible, even enjoyable...if we are able, and willing, to keep it. As things go, Climate Change is upon us beyond illegal logging (the increase in frequency and severity of droughts, floods, wildfires, etc, also man-made...to our shame). Wouldn't it be nice if the rest of us would follow her actions?
27
I love this article, she sounds wonderful. Some one mentioned in the comments about “guerilla gardening” where you plant trees or flowers every where, even if it’s not your property. What a beautiful idea. So much fun while trying to save the world, one tree at a time.
29
@Tank yeah, but be careful with that and make sure that you are only planting things native to your area.
3
Great article, inspiring! We all need to do our part, to be activists, to right the injustices we commit as a collective species to our home here on Earth. Reduce, reuse, recycle - yes. Reforest, reclaim, restore - also yes.
31
Almost 50 years ago, I took a long walk thru a parcel of forest in Northern New Hampshire. It was late November, but unusually warm. Fog muted all the colors and softened all the edges. The forest smelled of pine and decaying leaves. Lichen (or was it moss) in bloom created soft washes of color on gray-green rocks. When I stood still, the silence was beautiful. I have rarely been so calm since that day, but sometimes, on other walks in the woods, I get close.
96
Eastern thought has long--perhaps always--held that trees are sentient beings. It's only recently that science has begun to acknowledge that reality, to which I ascribe. This changes deforestation from "harvesting" to doing harm to a living species. Yes, we need wood and woodlands, but neither can or should be taken without due consideration. I'm delighted to find this article on a morning when the world is madly moving into yet another war.
141
@OldPadre Yes--but I'm not sure what you mean by "eastern thought." Indigenous people all around the globe, including the ancestors of all of us reading this article, also thought this way. To find our place in the natural world we don't need to change, as much as remember who we already are.
34
@OldPadre
Although trees are wonderful and necessary they are not "sentient". The soul concept is imaginary. Yes the universe may be unknowable but default human thinking always seems to return to gullible rather than critical.
3
@Crone Nice distinction. We can find pretty clear evidence that East Asian civilizations have no problem cutting down trees and polluting the environment too. Now, I am not trying to lionize Western thought nor bash Eastern thought, but both are quite different than smaller scale indigenous cultures.
3
Let us remember Dr. Beresford-Kroeger's work when the New York State Constitution is amended, revised, or rewritten to keep & maintain the large tracks of forest in the Adirondack & Catskill areas. A good use for a portion of the State's gambling income shall be for purchasing additional tracks of forest (including non-forest water ways & grasslands) in the Adirondack & Catskill areas and along the southern tier and finger lakes of New York State.
A bit of long term thinking and planning on the part of New York State's local & state legislators, executive, and civil service employees.
87
Aren't Celtic people indigenous to Europe? Not sure why Celtic and Indigenous would describe different sets of people.
10
@J
I interpreted the reference to mean that the Celts shared a philosophy about trees with indigenous population from other regions such as Ameri-Indians.
5
@J Technically it shouldn't but many might only have a broad and/or shallow view of the term indigenous.
1
Thank you for this much needed, clearly written, stimulating article which I read on the first day of an active war in Europe, daily ongoing "deaths," loss of limbs and creation of lifetime traumas in Yemen. In addition to a long list of WE-THEY toxic, enabled, violating nations and cultures globally.
Perhaps the BBC, a Canadian site, PBS wherever, etc. would consider creating a weekly series with Dr. Beresford-Kroeger as an easily available, and accessible resource for communicating nature's diverse "faces" of menschlichkeit.
61
Nice to read about people like Dr. Kroeger; hope is not lost.
If landscapes are not 'sacred' (i.e. not respected for all they offer), then the cleanliness of the house one lives in should not matter either. How about living near landfills or on top of one? So then there must be something the former offers that the landfills don't?
Sacred is another way of saying that "you are respected, you are beautiful, you provide sustenance, we are grateful for your being."
We must be more strategic in how we live with nature. There should be more of nature than man-made concrete. Our physical, mental and emotional wellbeing is sustained by nature. Sure we can go about proving scientifically that it's actually the aerosols that make us feel better. But the fact doesn't change that trees/nature/greenery adds to our emotional wellness at the very least.
68
I'm confused about her definition of "native." The article says she wants to "repatriate" rare seeds and saplings native to Canada, yet the photograph shows her with a bird's-nest spruce, a form of tree native to Europe. Although a changing climate may shift the range of North American plants, I would hope these kinds of efforts don't wind up introducing non-native invasive species that obliterate local biodiversity.
24
@Robert
A botanist of my acquaintance, who has many letters after is name and a very dry sense of humor, is fond of this reply when people bring up concerns over non-native species:
“Everything was indigenous prior to continental drift.”
5
@B Dawson Aieeeee! Funny, yes, but the last thing we need is to brush aside this concern. We here in the Sonoran Desert are poised to lose our beloved and extraordinarily rich saguaro bio-community to a monoculture of invasive grasses. These grasses are fire adapted and burn at extreme temperatures. Cactus are not fire adapted. After a fire, guess what grows back?
6
@Robert
The caption of the photograph likely misidentifies the tree; dwarf bird’s-nest spruces grow only a couple feet high.
https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/picea-abies-nidiformis/
Although we can’t count its growth rings, from the trunk’s diameter the tree she leans against likely is older than her ownership of the property. If it is a “non-native” specimen, she she cut it down?
1
Thank you for this article. Living in what used to be the Eastern Woodlands, forest from Maine to Virginia, I hope those who can plant six trees do. And don't cut down trees, either.
48
I have been a fan of hers for several years, since watching "Call of the Forest" and subsequently reading several of her books. She is one of these rare people - much like Robin Wall Kimmerer and more recently Suzanner Simard - who is able to bring together hard science with indigenous thinking, and in a time of deep climate crisis on top of continued glum news, we would all be better off finally listening to what these women have to say.
117
Ancient Sequoia trees are the most massive trees on the planet, living for thousands of years, and their range extends along the western slope of the Sierra Nevada in central California.
They are fire adapted, with branches starting very high and with bark up to 2 feet thick.
But they are not firestorm adapted, and 20 percent of these ancient trees were destroyed by California's new mega fires in the last 2 years.
64
The resolution of the climate-change conundrum remains a mystery. There is so much institutional momentum driving deforestation and anthropogenic CO2/methane production.
Only a small fraction of humans understand that a major disruption with massive suffering is approaching. Bread and circuses, in the meantime, occupy us.
70
I am particularly fond of Beresford-Kroeger's companion books "Arboretum America" and "Arboretum Borealis". The late Edward O. Wilson commented in his Foreward that "'Arboretum America' speaks for the trees as well as it has ever been done." The woman's encyclopedic knowledge of trees is astonishing and linked to a most unusual childhood. Her husband, Christian Kroeger, takes the beautiful photographs for all her books. Nice to see this tree wizard getting some NYT attention.
193
Great article. I planted 12 peach trees in Florida in 2010 and only got one crop ( first year ) Too warm...even though it was genetically designed for our zone in Florida...there were not enough "chill hours" to set fruit. The soil is like a dead dry powder and thus a certain bacteria grows (nemitodes) that can't be stopped unless one uses a very toxic spray called malathyon. The orange trees are all hit by "greening" the result of industrial monocultural ag business. Despite this the price of land has increased five fold in ten years on The Gulf. Climate change is never 'real' until one is actually experiencing the thing first hand.
84
@Louis The greening is heartbreaking - watching citrus trees die by degrees. I removed all of our citrus to prevent the spread, while noticing new neighbors planted young citrus trees, unaware of this incurable disease.
9
@Louis, Nematodes are present in all soils, everywhere. Not all are harmful. as some hunt beetle grubs. Nurseries have to sell trees, and no doubt that yours were unfit for the climate. That's why Florida is known for oranges while Georgia and South Carolina are known for peaches.
5
@Louis Will there be a time when we no longer have oranges? I love oranges.
What a remarkable life and lady. The world needs more of her and less of just about everyone who pops up in the daily headlines.
307
@Henry lets make her our world Overlord! (dead ass! for real)
1
Yes! Modern technology cannot replace what the natural world gives us. All the pills in the world will not save us. Plants are key to our wellness and survival. I Human attempts to tame nature create an escalating march toward extinction. We would be wise to swallow our pride and start paying attention to people like Dr. Beresford-Kroger. We cannot live without the flora of this planet, while it can patiently wait for our demise and bounce back.
52
All due credit to Ms. Beresford-Kroeger and her tree-planting efforts. We're in the process of re-foresting our own small, 18 acre parcel.
However, I heartily disagree with her statement that, “the best and only thing we have right now to fight climate change and do it fast,”.
The "best" thing we can do "to fight climate change" is to STOP burning and wasting the Fossil Fuels that dump ever-increasing amounts of GHGs into our atmosphere.
And WASTE them we do. The Lawrence Livermore National Labs publishes an annual report on American's consumption and waste of energy. In 2020, we wasted 2/3 of the energy we produced, including 79% (!!) of our Transportation Energy - our largest GHG-emitting energy sector.
Plant trees that remove the carbon we've already dumped into our atmosphere - yes! That effort will be useless, however, unless individual Americans take personal responsibility and slash our Fossil Fuel consumption.
101
@Miss Anne Thorpe We could stop eating meat- a much bigger
contributor than it seems.
Then there's the unmentionable greenest thing anyone could do: stop having babies. At least no more than 1. We are, after all, the invasive species on an island it wasn't designed for that we complain about. Do we have the sense to reel it in? Or does our sense of specialness blind us to what we need to do?
17
@Miss Anne Thrope Recreational vehicles are a blight. A few years ago, a co-worker said he’d just spent $400 on gasoline for his boat that weekend so he could party on the lake. If there were an Ant and the Grasshopper tale about climate change, he would be a grasshopper.
9
There is so much ancient wisdom readily dismissed by modern science that we need to review, consider and investigate. There are reasons our ancestors did what they did for millennia. It all strikes a chord. Let it start a movement.
133
@Claire Mallon I often wonder how some of the ancients discovered the healing plants and what they were good for.
1
Beautiful work. Mentions that everyone would need to plant 6 native trees, which is possible for many of us, but not for everyone, due to access to land. More development on the idea would be welcomed!
51
I've always wanted to do some guerilla gardening--go plant flowers in a park, bury some bulbs in an out of the way patch of woods, plant something on a business property, etc--the land doesn't necessarily have to be yours. Sure, there is a chance that what you plant could be dug up and removed, but they might just leave it there if it is planted thoughtfully and in a way that enhances the space. It's a bit like a charitable donation.
32
@Denna bravo!
2
@Cynthia Anne
She didn’t say plant 6 trees on your property. There are many places that city dwellers or those without “access to land” could plant trees - local parks, at the edges of concrete jungles or donate to reputable organizations that are planting trees elsewhere.
Color outside the lines, there’s way more room out there!
3
The Overstory, which this article mentions, is an awe-inspiring and incredible book that will entirely alter the way you think about forests. I'd urge everyone who has even a slight interest in the environment to read it, as it changed my life and it fully deserved the Pulitzer.
228
@Cooper Richard Powers is so talented. Orfeo and The Time of Our Singing by him are also excellent.
3
@KJC
Yes, those are also good. But "The Overstory," and his follow-up, "Bewilderment" (not exactly a sequel, but the two are definitely "of a piece"), are on a whole different level from everything he's written before.
Read the Overstory. It will change your life.
4
@Cooper
Agree! And, for those so inclined, I highly recommend the audiobook version, read by Suzanne Toren, which is magnificent.
2
This is a long article and I may have missed it - but I would like to see a list of trees that do well with climate change.
261
I was hoping to see a list too. The only trees I saw mentioned in her yard were “the kingnut, a blue-needled fir and a rare variant of the bur oak.”
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@Laurie Macfee My understanding is that the list would vary depending on location. Plant native trees. Plant native trees that aren’t threatened by climate change. Plant native trees that aren’t threatened by climate change and that have medicinal value. Among those, plant endangered species.
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I think her work is focused on preserving the northern boreal forest in Canada. It looks like her book “Arboretum America” explores a wider rage of trees and their role in the natural/human ecology. I am so inspired by her. I’m going to plant 6 trees in my suburban yard this spring.
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