The Elder Statesman

The Lives of the Trees
An uncommon history
By Diana Wells
Illustrated by Heather Lovett
Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill
Hardback $19.95

By BILL DUNCAN
The News-Review 

Diana Wells is fascinated with the things of the natural world. She has already authored two previous books in that vein, “100 Flowers and How They Got Their Names,” and “100 Birds and How They Got Their Names.” This time she has taken on the myths, legends, literature, etymology, folklore and history of trees in an exploration of the human race’s deep seeded relationship with trees.

What an appropriate book for the Pacific Northwest, especially for Roseburg and Douglas County which at one time was known as the timber capital of the world. This is definitely not a tree huggers book. Instead, typically it comes from the pen of a writer who is noted for finding curious information about the natural world.

The theme of the book is set in her bright and interesting introduction. As with most non-fiction books, the readers who skip introductions and prefaces, miss some of the best and heartfelt writing in the book. Reading Wells’ introduction is a must because it is there that Wells reveals a wealth of information about how tightly we are bound to trees – the great providers and protectors of our planet. The reader will see trees from many different angles.

From that launching point the reader is introduced to an alphabet of trees from Acacia to Yew, with each tree as a chapter that includes the sparkling black and white illustrations of Heather Lovet. She reveals how the wood of the tree has been used for fuel, furniture, shelter, food, musical instruments and even medicine. The human race has depended on trees to feed us with their fruits and heal us with their sap.

“The Lives of Trees” is filled with unusual anecdotes that only good writers dredge from trivia facts and Wells said she spent over a decade of research on trees that may be as common to us as everyday things or about which we are only now learning through her words. For example, there is a line of giant cottonwood trees lining the front of my property in Garden Valley that were probably planted by a orchardist who once harvested prunes from the acreage. There are still some gnarled remnants of those fruit trees on the property that still produce an amazing amount of fruit even after so may years. The prunings from those trees have also warmed me in the fireplace in the family room.

Mine has often been a love/hate relationship with the cottonwoods, that starts to strip tease in the fall and bury the property under mountains of leaves. All winter these naked trees stand as mere skeletons shedding limbs and bark. In the spring the cotton-like buds bloom and also become a nuisance, but when that mid-day sun comes in the summer, what a blessing those wide leaf trees are for cooling things off.

Wells writes a fascinating chapter on one of my favorite trees, the maple tree. The special mention of the Japanese maple, brought even more in focus for me because near my home is the Maplewood Nursery, a 1 ½ acre arboretum of the late entomologist, J.D. Vertrees, who was an internationally known expert on Japanese maples. The nursery is now owned by Dr. Stewart Wilson, a Roseburg ophthalmologist, who continues the work of Vertrees.

Wells was born in Jerusalem, has lived in England and Italy and holds an honors degree in history from Oxford University. She now lives on a farm in Pennsylvania. Her book explores the lives of 100 trees, some familiar and more than likely are growing on your property. Within the 100 short chapters you will find such interesting stories as the one about the coffee tree that once led to the death of coffee drinkers in Constantinople who were sewn in sacks and tossed into the sea to drown as a punishment for their sins. Or the root from the sassafrass tree being a medicinal healer for centuries and how the thousand year old olive tree, even though cut down, will regenerate itself from suckers at the base of the tree.

It is a fascinating book for word lovers, as well as history buffs and nature lovers or for that matter anyone who has ever sat under a tree and wondered about its existence.

(Bill Duncan can be reached at bduncan@nrtoday.com or by writing to P.O. Box 812, Roseburg, OR 97470.) 

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