Tree Sense: Ways of Thinking About Trees

by Susette Goldsmith

At a moment when the planet is so clearly in peril, the trees stand as both guardians and messengers. They have words for us—if only we would listen. This collection of essays by artists, activists, ecologists, and advocates discusses the many ways in which humans need trees, and how our future is laced into their roots and their branches.

Genres: Nonfiction, Essays, Nature

256 pages, Paperback

Published June 10, 2021

Reviews

[Gillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is beautifully produced. The cover and other illustrations by renowned botanical illustrator Nancy M. Adams are a delight as is the book design by Megan van Staden. The level of production is what I would expect of a book to keep forever - a book to treasure and return to again and again. I assumed from this level of production that the book would be literary nature writing. But one should never judge a book by its cover. The anthology does include a poem and modern art images, but the essays lean towards the academic, some of which will date quite quickly as they refer to current events, dollar values or legislation. So it's a book to read now. Many of the essays are thought-provoking - what value should we put on urban trees? how do trees affect our sense of place? why should we value native trees above introduced species? what does it mean to be kaitiaki? I hope it reaches a wide audience including town planners, developers, and so on, but I suspect it will be bought and read by those that love trees already.

[Peter Laurenson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just when the planet is clearly in peril, the trees stand as both guardians and messengers. They have words for us – if only we would listen. In Tree Sense – Ways of thinking about trees ten writers seek to help readers to understand and appreciate the importance of this message.

Tree Sense comprises an introduction by the editor Susette Goldsmith, two main parts, and an extensive end note section.

Part One: Needful Dependency
Tree breath and human starts things off with a short poem by Elizabeth Smither.
A Walk in the Bush recounts Philip Simpson’s reflections on how humans use, interact with and are impacted by trees, while walking the track between Totaranui and Goat Bay in Abel Tasman National Park.
In A Line Between Two Trees Anne Noble explores the possibility of underground connections permitting communications between trees.
Among Trees, Among Kin is a look by Kennedy Warne at personal, Māori and European perspectives about trees.
The Golden Bearing is about artist Reuben Patterson’s golden rendition of a tree and how it impacts on those who encounter it, written by Meredith Robertshawe.
In The Peculiar Trees of Aotearoa a Welsh botanist Glyn Church, now a Taranaki resident, considers the distinctiveness of New Zealand as one of three botanical arks (the other two being New Caledonia and Madagascar). Many interesting facts are described. A stand out for me was that we must protect old, mature trees most of all because their CO2 adsorption capacity is the greatest.
In Tree Sense of Place Jacky Bowring describes how trees are many things – landmarks, structures, emotional reference points, memorials. This was accentuated by their resilience during the Christchurch earthquakes.

Part Two: Greening the Anthropocene
In Burying the Axe and Fire Stick Susette Goldsmith views the 1940 centenary of the Treaty of Waitangi as a turning point for how New Zealanders perceived and treated nature – no longer just an expendable resource, but something of environmental health and beauty.
Think like a Mataī uses the Mataī as a metaphor for lessons in life. For me this chapter was the highlight – an eloquent summary by Colin D. Meurk of the fundamental role that we must allow trees to play in the resurrection of a more balanced, sustainable, kinder, more respectful path for humanity.
New Zealand, the land of little landscapes – ‘a country that changes visually and vegetatively along steep topographic and climatic gradients over very short distances.’ ‘Without urgent restorative action, our point of difference in a homogenised world remains at grave risk.’ ‘Like never before it’s time to think like a Mataī.’
E Tata Tope e Roa Whakatipu is artist Huhana Smith’s perspective about how a forest is easy to destroy but takes so long to grow.
Our Lost Trees is Mel Barton’s look at the value of urban trees in terms of carbon storage, shade, enhanced water and air quality, flood reduction, shade and emotional wellbeing. Despite this, large mature trees in urban environments, afforded minimal protection, continue to be destroyed at an alarming rate.
In No Place for a Tree Susette Goldsmith recounts the history leading to the establishment of a Karaka grove on reclaimed land in downtown Wellington.

As a reading experience, though somewhat disjointed, Tree Sense – Ways of thinking about trees is thought provoking, poignant and a timely call to action.

[Anne Herbison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been dipping into this book for over a year, but made a more concentrated effort to finish it recently. Having had my eyes opened by Overstory by Richard Powers, I was interested to read about New Zealand trees and the authors' relationship with them. The authors include scientists, a landscape architect, researchers, environmental activists, artists and a poet. While we tend to think that conservation has happened recently as forests disappeared, at least two of the essays in Tree Sense, date these efforts to the late 19th century. Our most organised independent conservation entity, Forest and Bird, Te Reo O Te Taiao|Giving Nature a Voice is 100 years old this year. The striking illustrations are by botanist and botanical artist Nancy M. Adams (1926-2007). Tree Sense is a treasure of a book.

[Reeb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great review on RNZ National
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/progra...