Tree Day (follow 24 trees over 24 hours)
Tree Day is a short book that guides us through the global forest, introducing a single tree during a single hour, with 24 species from around the world. Includes the dragon blood tree in Yemen, where nocturnal geckos carry the pollen in their snouts.
The coastal redwood in the Pacific Northwest, that absorbs morning fog through its roots. and a sugar maple tree in New England that has leaves that have stopped producing chlorophyll, to turn a vivid crimson. A cocoa tree in Mexico lets tiny insects pollinate to make chocolate!
Most charming of all is Lowman’s joy and wonder at the natural world. By the time you reach the last page of this book, you’ll either want to a climb a tree, hug a tree, or both. Rachel Zarrow
Meg Lowman is a treetop explorer and forest conservationist. She is one of the world’s first abornauts (a scientist who conducts research in tree tops), and has climbed trees in over 40 countries.
She is executive director of the TREE Foundation and founder of Mission Green, a project to build canopy walkways in the world’s 10 most endangered, high-biodiversity forests.
Learn which trees and bulbs are not safe near pets. Also know trees to avoid near horses (including yew, oak and sycamore). Conkers are also not safe near pets.
If growing fruit trees, read about no-dig gardening. Also use fruit protection bags over netting (to avoid wildlife getting trapped).
More good books on trees
The Little Book of Trees is a beautifully illustrated small guide co-written by a professor of biology and a professor of natural history. Learn about trees and their leaves, tree trunks and barks, and the architecture of trees. Along with seeds and curious facts.
The irony of course is that most publishers still don’t print their books on 100% post-consumer recycled paper (they could if they wanted to, we’d all pay a little more per book). A few publishers do this (Green Books, New Society, New World Library). So if they can, so can the others.
Tree: A Life Story (the autobiography of a 700-year old Douglas Fir) is one of the few books about trees, that is printed on 100% post-consumer waste paper.
The Heart of the Woods looks at how trees have evolved over time and (just like a parent to a child) has left a legacy. In this book, the author travels around England (and to Ireland) to explore what we get out of spending time around trees.
Stories in the book includes apple wassailing in Cornwall, making willow coffins (also in Cornwall), forest bathing in Northumberland and rewilding the Scottish Highlands.
