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The Man Who Planted Trees: Lost Groves, Champion Trees, and an Urgent Plan to Save the Planet
by
Jim Robbins
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 Mi...more
“When is the best time to plant a tree? Twenty years ago. The second best time? Today.”—Chinese proverb
Twenty years ago, David Mi...more
Hardcover, 240 pages
Published
April 17th 2012
by Spiegel & Grau
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Apr 24, 2012
Bobby J
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
anyone who care about their children and children;s childrens future.
Shelves:
first-reads,
giveaways-won
The world may never have the "grove of champion trees" it once had but it won't be because of Jim Robbins and the people he has written about. Their efforts are chonicled in this disturbing view of our world today and the treeless future of tomorrow. Just as frightenng is the domino effect occurring daily around the world due to our indifference and inaction in re-foresting the planet. This book is heralded as "the book that may save our planet" and when one reads this, one will know the truth b...more
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The Man Who Planted Trees by New York Times journalist, Jim Robbins, is best summed up by its subtitle: Lost Groves, Champion Trees, and an Urgent Plan to Save the Planet. The book is a compilation of scientific study, mythology, mysticism, and especially the often Herculean efforts of a few people who believe that trees are invaluable to the survival of the planet and are in critical danger. Global warming, unrestricted growth of population centers, and lack of adequate dendrology are a few of...more
This book took my breath away.
We all know what "survival of the fittest" means: that only the strongest, most vital, most excellent members of a species prevail, and so the gene pool is enhanced, the runts do not propagate as often so their weaker or defective genes eventually are culled, and the species as a whole becomes stronger in relation to the environment in which they live. "Survival of the fittest" does not occur in a vacuum; species depend on the quality of the ecosystem in which they...more
We all know what "survival of the fittest" means: that only the strongest, most vital, most excellent members of a species prevail, and so the gene pool is enhanced, the runts do not propagate as often so their weaker or defective genes eventually are culled, and the species as a whole becomes stronger in relation to the environment in which they live. "Survival of the fittest" does not occur in a vacuum; species depend on the quality of the ecosystem in which they...more
a bit of a wack idea, cloning all the north american champion trees, to both save those particular genes, and to plant and spread trees, big trees. the idea being that champion trees, like the sadly recently demised wye oak in maryland (the dang thing covered over 35 acres!!), has something special about them that they were/are the biggest, bestest examples and have survived for the last 3000-500 years or so, even survived our euro onslaught of saws, concrete, acid rain etc etc.
that isn't so str...more
that isn't so str...more
The book is a combination of science of trees and forests, the lack of research completed on trees and forests- the great unknowns, David Milarch and his near death experience that lead him to attempt to clone all the Champion Trees in the world, and the sad state of our planet. It reads like a story, was quick and easy to understand, all the scientific information is presented in an easy to understand format. The spiritual aspects are the basis for Milarch's mission and it's well known that tre...more
Many people disagree about the concept of global warming. Some don't believe that global warming even exists, while others disagree on the cause. Whether you agree with global warming or not, however, it is becoming quite clear that all is not as it should be. Into this fray steps a most unique man, David Milarch. He is the creator of a company called Archangel, which is attempting to clone the oldest trees for replanting. His belief is that our earth, and therefore all living beings, are much m...more
This book has an urgent message: we must save our trees or else the earth will not survive. Wow, a powerful message. "The Man Who Planted Trees: Lost Groves, Champion Trees, and an Urgent Plan to Save the Planet," written by Jim Robbins, follows David Milarch, a Michigan nurseryman, who has a mission to save the trees of the earth. He has this revelation after he has a near death experience. The book follows him as he travels around the country trying to locate what he calls Champion Trees. Cham...more
The Man who Planted Trees by Jim Robbins
This is the true story of David Millarch and his quest to save the genetic material of the world's oldest trees. He considers this of utmost importance as these are the trees with proven survivability. His method is to find what he calls Champion trees and clone them. As our climate changes, these are the trees that have proven that they can survive.
His story begins with a near death experience during after which he said he had received instructions that t...more
This is the true story of David Millarch and his quest to save the genetic material of the world's oldest trees. He considers this of utmost importance as these are the trees with proven survivability. His method is to find what he calls Champion trees and clone them. As our climate changes, these are the trees that have proven that they can survive.
His story begins with a near death experience during after which he said he had received instructions that t...more
This is a good read. I wouldn't pass on the book, but the title somewhat describes some of its challenges. Wild Trees does a GREAT job of taking you through the big trees and the passion of people who want to preserve them. But The Man... jumps around all three topics and as a result you don't really get a clear, strong picture of any. I didn't feel the call to action that I expected to hear with 'Urgent Plan to Save the Planet.' Though reading Outside Mag today I learned there is an excellent p...more
This was a goodreads win. I love trees and found the stories of the champions to be fascinating. I would have given this a higher rating except for two things: I'm not sure about the accuracy of the science, since I'm not a scientist; and there was too much "super-natural" stuff.
Now, I'm sure the author researched his topic and endeavored to present a book with sound information. But, I don't know for sure! I'm going to pass this book on to someone who has a 30-year career as a forester and see...more
Now, I'm sure the author researched his topic and endeavored to present a book with sound information. But, I don't know for sure! I'm going to pass this book on to someone who has a 30-year career as a forester and see...more
Nov 04, 2012
Jessica
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
ecologists, enviornmentalists, natural history readers, gardeners, homesteaders
Recommended to Jessica by:
came across in a search while I was looking for the original book titled The Man Who Planted Trees
Shelves:
non-fiction
I know the project talked about in this book is great and important work but overall I disagree with the reviewers who call this book "hopeful." It's been a long time since a book made me feel so much like just giving up - we're killing trees in myriad ways at great speed without a plan to replenish them. Milarch's project of cloning the champion trees is incredible but it is also a decade, or even century long, project - not one that will offset what is happening. There is a great amount of inf...more
I loved this book. A mix of emotions: dread, amusement, wonder, anger, admiration, and hope to name a few. I kept thinking how so many of us take trees for granted. Jim elucidated for me (even without exhaustive scientific studies) the value and power of living trees on the plant. How tragic that humans felled the giants that had lived hundreds or thousands of years. And how amazing that David Milarch made it his life's mission to try to save some of those trees, with the support and devotion of...more
This book has a really important message, I for one would have gotten in less pages than they did in this book. The first part of the book is a little dry as we read about the trees and how Mr. Milarch finds them and some of the people he meets on the way. Environmentalists and arborists would really enjoy this section.
The middle part seems to me to be more about the spirituality of trees. It talks about how different cultures have different views about the spirits of trees and their cosmic pu...more
The middle part seems to me to be more about the spirituality of trees. It talks about how different cultures have different views about the spirits of trees and their cosmic pu...more
A complex story, told simply and clearly. Actually it's three stories, interwoven. First,is the almost unreal story of the man who started cloning and planting champion trees around the world. Then, there's the story of trees and our relationship with them, on this earth. And finally, the amazing story of new scientific discoveries about trees - incredible facts that are not general knowledge, but have significant importance to the health of every one of us. Guarantee to make you look at every t...more
This book is a rare and wonderful mix of warm-hearted storytelling, hard-headed science reporting, and a smattering of mysticism integrated into an inspiring true story of how one man’s actions are now working to restore and reinvigorate the forests and help heal the planet.
The most grand and spectacular instances of each tree species are known as champion trees. Enthusiasts seek out these magnificent trees and nominate them for champion status. However, not until nurseryman Dave Milarch’s Near...more
The most grand and spectacular instances of each tree species are known as champion trees. Enthusiasts seek out these magnificent trees and nominate them for champion status. However, not until nurseryman Dave Milarch’s Near...more
We know very little about what trees do for the environment and the impact they have on the natural world. As trees disappear, we learn what they did from their absence, a poor way to manage our environment. The Man Who Planted Trees: Lost Groves, Champion Trees, and an Urgent Plan to Save the Planet is nominally about David Milarch, founder of The Champion Tree Project. The project is an effort to save what are known as the Champion Trees, the most impressive specimens of each species of tree f...more
Recently, I visited Longwood Gardens, which is a huge botanical garden near Philadelphia. As I was taking a photo of one of the (amazing) trees in the park, a guide came up to me and started telling me about the tree. It was a state champion, some kind of dogwood, the name of which escapes me now. So I asked him if there were any national champions on the grounds. His face lit up and he said, "That's a great question! I love good questions because I'm a guide." And he pointed me in the direction...more
I won a copy of this and look forward to reading it.
This book tells how urgent and important it is that we take care of our forests and especially the oldest trees as they do more for us than we know. They are our caretakers, our elders, our connection to life. We have so much to learn from them and with all the logging and clearing that has taken place we have lost some vital links to our future. I do think that trees are sacred and this book has taught me things that I did not know about trees...more
This book tells how urgent and important it is that we take care of our forests and especially the oldest trees as they do more for us than we know. They are our caretakers, our elders, our connection to life. We have so much to learn from them and with all the logging and clearing that has taken place we have lost some vital links to our future. I do think that trees are sacred and this book has taught me things that I did not know about trees...more
The story of David Milarch is fascinating and a good read. Robbins is easy to read, informative, and presents the science well. I learned a lot - the book is inspiring and informative. However, he could have left out the mystical mumbo jumbo which tends to undermine the credibility of the author and actors in this extremely important narrative. Still, just ignore those passages, there is plenty of hard science in here to support the program.
This is an ARC I received through Goodreads Firstread program. I'm not entirely sure what I was expecting from this book. It wasn't what I was expecting. That's not necessarily a bad thing. The book is part biographical, part environmental. There's some amazing information about trees and our need for them. Is the book going to live up to PR it got around its Earth Day release? Probably not. Is it a worthwhile read? Yes.
When I saw The Man Who Planted Trees listed on Goodreads, the description of David Milarch's near death experience being the catalyst for the Archangel Ancient Tree Archive intrigued me, but I thought it might include more new age spirituality than I was interested in reading. Author, Jim Robbins described David Milarch's near death experience and encounter with "light beings" only as a vehicle to introduce the project and then went on to relay some fascinating information about trees that was n...more
David Milarch & sons are doing important work for the planet via their organizations, Archangel Ancient Tree Archive, a non-profit organization that locates and propagates the world’s oldest trees, creating living libraries of old growth trees. Forests all over the world are under stress and dying or being clear cut. This book tells David Milarch's rather strange life story, but mostly describes the fascinating world of trees & some of their interesting characteristics and why it is so i...more
i love trees so i was hoping for a good book and was not disappointed. very interesting tale with lots of scientific evidence to support the notion, trees are very important to the health of ourselves and the planet. living here on the dry wind swept prairie where trees are a real challenge to grow it is wonderful to read of a person who is making their life's work cloning important species of trees.
Apr 19, 2012
Ed Wagemann
marked it as to-read
I have always had a thing for big old trees. I had a willow friend before I was 5 years old. This book spoke to my love affair with trees and educated me about the plight of the planet due to the loss of forests. Although this book is written powerfully by a science journalist, it was magical and kept me reading. A very important book that has changed my world view.
I received this book in a Good Reads First Giveaway.
I really enjoyed Mr. Robbins writing style and easily made it through this book over a weekend. I agree with a previous reviewer - I'm concerned that the only people who would read it are those that already share similar concerns or viewpoints.
Conversely, I liked that the book blended hard scientific research with the more "spiritual". I thought the balance played to a wider audience although I can see how those on either side of the argument...more
I really enjoyed Mr. Robbins writing style and easily made it through this book over a weekend. I agree with a previous reviewer - I'm concerned that the only people who would read it are those that already share similar concerns or viewpoints.
Conversely, I liked that the book blended hard scientific research with the more "spiritual". I thought the balance played to a wider audience although I can see how those on either side of the argument...more
A nice collection of essays about the importance of tree planting. Even for people who are familiar with the topic, there are one or two new ideas here. The author's admirable dedication to the issue is evident.
This is my kind of book - so important that I wish I could give everyone I know a copy to read - especially my local government, who decided to cut down almost every tree in our city park . . .
I originally was attracted to this book because of the name of the author ~ it is the same as my little brother's name! However, the subject of the book - trees - is also of great interest to me, so I determined to read it. It is quite rewarding and challenging, and certainly gave me some new knowledge about how important trees are to our world.
This is a book everyone should read. As the song says, "you take paradise and put up a parking lot" We need to save the trees, plant trees in order to save "THE EARTH" So for Earth Day read this book and plant some trees!
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“What an irony it is that these living beings whose shade we sit in,
whose fruit we eat, whose limbs we climb, whose roots we water, to
whom most of us rarely give a second thought, are so poorly
understood. We need to come, as soon as possible, to a profound
understanding and appreciation for trees and forests and the vital
role they play, for they are among our best allies in the uncertain
future that is unfolding.”
—
7 people liked it
whose fruit we eat, whose limbs we climb, whose roots we water, to
whom most of us rarely give a second thought, are so poorly
understood. We need to come, as soon as possible, to a profound
understanding and appreciation for trees and forests and the vital
role they play, for they are among our best allies in the uncertain
future that is unfolding.”
“Planting trees, I myself thought for a long time, was a feel-good thing, a nice but feeble response to our litany of modern-day environmental problems. In the last few years, though, as I have read many dozens of articles and books and interviewed scientists here and abroad, my thinking on the issue has changed. Planting trees may be the single most important ecotechnology that we have to put the broken pieces of our planet back together.”
—
3 people liked it
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