Where mountains meet ocean in Alaska's Alexander Archipelago, white
skeletons of dead yellow cedar trees stand prominently amidst a
verdant landscape of old-growth forests. Researchers spent nearly
three decades deciphering the cause of the majestic species' death
and uncovering climate change as the culprit. Lauren E. Oakes, a
young scientist at Stanford University, was one of them. But even
as she set to record the demise of a species, she soon found
herself immersed in an even bigger, and totally unexpected, story:
how the people of Alaska were adapting to the tree's disappearance,
and how the tree itself, seemingly doomed, was adapting to a
changing world. In Search of the Canary Tree is the story of six
years that Oakes and her team spent in the Alaskan wilds, studying
thousands of trees and saplings along the archipelago of southeast
Alaska. Far from losing faith in the survival of our woodlands, she
discovered the resiliency of forgotten forests, flourishing again
after years of destruction and decomposition. And, through deep
encounters with loggers, naturalists, Native weavers, and
enthusiasts of the yellow cedar, Oakes discovered how the people of
Alaska were determined to develop new relationships with the
emerging environment. Where many scientists and commentators have
found in climate change an unmitigated disaster, Oakes found
beacons of hope even in the disorienting death of a species. Above
all else, Oakes shows us that, although we can respond to climate
change with either fear or denial, we can also find in it a new
world, and one that doesn't necessarily have to be for the worst.
Eloquent, insightful, and deeply heartening, In Search of the
Canary Tree shows how human and natural resilience can help
preserve ourselves, even in our rapidly changing world.
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My review
Mon, 3 Dec 2018 | Review
by: Tanya K.
In Search of the Canary Tree is not so much a popular science book about a specific topic, but rather the author’s personal experiences while doing research for her PhD project in Alaska. In the author’s own words: "This book is about a species - a tree called Callitropsis nootkatensis, how I fell under its spell, and how it inspired my search for people and plants thriving amidst change. It chronicles my effort to answer what happens in the wake of yellow-cedar death, not only to uncover the future of these old-growth forests, but to share lessons that apply to people on other parts of the planet. It is a book about finding faith, not of any religious variety, but as a force that summons local solutions to a global problem, that helps me live joyfully and choose what matters most in seemingly dark times. If we start looking at the local picture and the ways in which we all depend on nature in various ways every day, solutions emerge. I witnessed this in Alaska".
The book starts off slowly but picks up pace. The book is a nicely-written, accessible, personable, informative, and rather intimate view of what one scientist actually did for her research project, the people that influenced her, what her findings were and how this affected her personally.
If you are only looking for scientific information, this book is not for you. If you want a more personal relationship with the scientists behind the number crunching, then you may enjoy this book.
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