"The Man Who Planted Trees" is the inspiring story of David
Milarch's quest to clone the biggest trees on the planet in order
to save our forests and ecosystem--as well as a hopeful lesson
about how each of us has the ability to make a difference.
""When is the best time to plant a tree? Twenty years ago. The
second best time? Today."--Chinese proverb"
Twenty years ago, David Milarch, a northern Michigan nurseryman
with a penchant for hard living, had a vision: angels came to tell
him that the earth was in trouble. Its trees were dying, and
without them, human life was in jeopardy. The solution, they told
him, was to clone the champion trees of the world--the largest, the
hardiest, the ones that had survived millennia and were most
resilient to climate change--and create a kind of Noah's ark of
tree genetics. Without knowing if the message had any basis in
science, or why he'd been chosen for this task, Milarch began his
mission of cloning the world's great trees. Many scientists and
tree experts told him it couldn't be done, but, twenty years later,
his team has successfully cloned some of the world's oldest
trees--among them giant redwoods and sequoias. They have also grown
seedlings from the oldest tree in the world, the bristlecone pine
Methuselah.
When "New York Times" journalist Jim Robbins came upon Milarch's
story, he was fascinated but had his doubts. Yet over several
years, listening to Milarch and talking to scientists, he came to
realize that there is so much we do not yet know about trees: how
they die, how they communicate, the myriad crucial ways they filter
water and air and otherwise support life on Earth. It became clear
that as the planet changes, trees and forest are essential to
assuring its survival.
Praise for "The Man Who Planted Trees"
"Absorbing, eloquent and loving . . . While Robbins's tone is
urgent, it doesn't compromise his crystal-clear science. . . . Even
the smallest details here are fascinating."--"The New York Times
Book Review"
"This is a story of miracles and obsession and love and survival.
Told with Jim Robbins's signature clarity and eye for telling
detail, "The Man Who Planted Trees" is also the most hopeful book
I've read in years. I kept thinking of the end of Saint Francis's
wonderful prayer, 'And may God bless you with enough foolishness to
believe that you can make a difference in the world, so that you
can do what others claim cannot be done.' "--Alexandra Fuller,
author of "Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight"
" "
"Scientists can be confined by their own thinking--they know what
they know. It's amazing for one layman to come up with the idea of
saving champion trees as a meaningful way to address the issues of
biodiversity and climate change. This could be a grassroots
solution to a global problem. A few million people selecting and
planting the right trees for the right places could really make a
difference."--Ramakrishna Nemani, earth scientist
"This provocative and stimulating look at an emerging aspect of
environmental study should serve as a clarion call to those
concerned with the fate of the world's forests as well as of the
stately shade trees in their own backyards."--"Booklist"
This book was printed in the United States of America on Rolland
Enviro(TM) 100 Book, which is manufactured using FSC-certified 100%
postconsumer fiber and meets permanent paper standards.
"From the Hardcover edition."
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