GOOD READS: TO SPEAK FOR THE TREES
I was first introduced to the brilliant mind of Irish-Canadian botanist, biochemist and visionary, Diana Beresford-Kroeger, when she spoke at the NYTimes A New Climate virtual event in October. I immediately became obsessed with her teachings, and began listening to her invigorating (lilting Irish brogue) narration of To Speak for the Trees, My Life's Journey from Ancient Celtic Wisdom to a Healing Vision of the Forest.
Diana was orphaned at a young age, when the elders of her maternal family, the O'Donoghues of County Cork, Ireland took her on and she became the last ward of the Ancient Celtic Brehon Law rooted in a vision of nature that saw trees and forests as fundamental to human survival and spirituality. To Speak for the Trees is a captivating account of this remarkable scientist's personal story interwoven with her significant discoveries, including the intricate ways in which the health and welfare of every living creature is connected to the global forest and how planting trees can actively help regulate the atmosphere and the oceans, and even stabilize our climate.
Trees matter.