Winter Environmental Discussion #1

Tuesday, November 10, 2020 7-8:15pm via zoom.

Contact esilverthorne24@hotmail.com to be included in emails and zoom link information.

We chose “Hidden Life of Trees” to launch this forum because of its unambiguous call to respect, investigate, and conscientiously preserve the inner workings of our woods. In this quiet, perceptive journey through the forest, Wohlleben posits that trees possess an invisible, underground way of sending signals (communicating) with each other in what some term a “wood-wide web.” At the same time, he questions how to best conserve our woods and, in doing so, counters his own training as a forester in Germany.

Moreover, Wohlleben’s book corresponds to the 10th entry from our Conservation Challenge. We encourage you to revisit that challenge on the Conservation page of the GCD website, suggesting 2 issues in particular: 1. the environmental contributions of trees, and 2. the groundbreaking experimental study on the health benefits of trees by the Louis Green Heart Project. Finally, we recommend you check the GCA’s Website in order to review its Position Paper on Climate Change and Action.

We have complied a list of secondary sources, all available on the internet, for you to consider if you choose along with Wohlleben’s book:• Ted Talk, by Suzanne Simard, “How Trees Talk to Each Other” (18 minutes). Simard is the scientist Richard Powers modeled the character, Dr. Patricia Westford, on in his novel, “The Overstory.”• BBC 4 Podcast, “Trees, a Wood-wide Web” (40 minutes). An engaging discussion featuring Wohlleben, a Scottish poet, and an English writer.• Smithsonian Magazine, “Do Trees Talk to Each Other?” (March 2018) Richard Grant interviews Wohlleben, Simard, and their critics• PBS Newshour, John Yang, 10/12/2019 (6 minutes) “Ambitious Louisville Study to Understand Impact of Trees on Health” (a study co-sponsored by longtime GCA member, environmental advocate, and philanthropist Christy Brown)

For further thought, you might also consider:• “On Point” (9/14/16), Tom Ashbrook, Q&A with Wohlleben and callers• NY Times (10/07/20), Margaret Holloway, “New England’s Forest are Sick. They Need More Tree Doctors” A revealing synopsis.• PBS Newshour, John Yang, 9/25/20 “Trump Moves to Open Tongass National Forest for Logging, to Environmentalists’ Dismay” (5 min) Examines residual impact of releasing vast amounts of CO2 thru this commercial endeavor• Yale 360, Fred Pearce, “Do Forests Grow Better with Our Help or Without?” 9/24/20. Research suggests natural regrowth absorbs more carbon than systematic planting
For those who wanted me to order books through Toadstool, they should be in by the end of this week. 
Katy will send a Zoom link the day before the meeting.