Twelve trees The deep roots of our future

Review by Booklist Review

"You might have personal or professional reasons to not like them, but all trees are good," writes Lewis, senior curator for the history of science and technology at the Huntington Library, Museum, and Botanical Gardens in San Marino, California. From this ardent mantra, the author teases out the backstories of 12 significant species of trees worldwide, from the valiant bristlecone pine--the oldest of which has reached 5,073 years of age--to the aromatic East Indian sandalwood tree, the coveted and highly protected ebony tree, the utterly otherworldly baobab tree, the life-giving and -extending olive tree, and the longleaf pine, for which forest fire is not a death sentence but rather, a lifeline. These backstories fill in the qualities that make these trees unique from any others, the myriad ways humans and other creatures find to exploit them, the environmental and cultural threats they face, and solutions scientists are applying to protect them. A book that brims with wonder, appreciation, and even some small hope.

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.

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Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

"Every species of tree offers lessons to the world," according to this enchanting study. Lewis (Belonging on an Island)--a curator at the Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens in Southern California--expounds on the biology and ecology of African baobabs, Great Basin bristlecone pines, and Central African forest ebony, among other tree species. Explaining the extraordinary abilities of California's coast redwoods, Lewis notes that the trees "generate some two million pounds of negative pressure" to pull water from their roots to their uppermost branches, a journey that takes weeks to complete. Lewis also explores trees' relationships with humans, discussing how the Indian government has implemented strict bureaucratic rules controlling the growth and sale of East Indian sandalwood trees, which are often poached and sold for huge sums because of their importance to traditional Asian medicine ("When a farmer has approval to harvest, a government official must come in person to uproot the entire tree"). The plentiful trivia fascinates, and Lewis has a talent for complicating conventional wisdom. For instance, he contends that despite California residents' denigration of the invasive blue gum eucalyptus as the "nation's largest weed," it provides crucial shelter for migrating monarch butterflies, whose needs aren't met by native vegetation. The result is a loving paean to all things arboreal. Agent: Wendy Strothman, Strothman Agency. (Mar.)

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Review by Library Journal Review

Lewis (senior curator, History of Science and Technology, Huntington Lib., Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens; Belonging on an Island) sets out to understand how 12 different species of trees live individually and as communities and how human activities affect their abundance, genetic adaptations, and their (and human's) very survival. Lewis notes that the approximately three billion trees on Earth are an essential element in maintaining the planet's environmental balance. Of these, he focuses on trees as far-ranging as the Easter Island Sophora toromiro, coastal redwoods, Tasmanian blue gum eucalyptus, Indian sandalwoods, and the West African ebony. Enhanced by narrator Kaleo Griffith's pleasant, well-paced presentation, this narrative engagingly relates Lewis's exploration of trees in their natural habitats and visits to museums, botanical gardens, and research facilities. He outlines the delicate and often thorny social, political, legal, and environmental pressures that come to bear on the trees and invitingly provides captivating facts about how humans, other animals, birds, insects, and microbes use trees. VERDICT Lewis's research makes clear the value and vulnerability of trees and other species. A must-listen for anyone interested in the natural world, particularly in trees and their effect on the greater environment.--Joanna M. Burkhardt

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Review by Kirkus Book Review

The lifestyles of 12 magnificent trees conveyed through science and history. Lewis, author of The Feathery Tribe, could not have chosen a group of trees more biologically and culturally fascinating than this variously endangered dozen. Each has captivated the human imagination even as we have drastically reduced their numbers, from the coast redwoods of Northern California and baobabs of Africa to the olive trees of the Middle East and the bald cypress of the southeastern U.S. coastal plain. The author, environmental historian and curator for the History of Science and Technology at the Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens in Southern California, offers a meticulous survey of these species, as well as their personal histories and importance, without succumbing to familiar bromides. He writes not in a hectoring, calamitous tone, but in a comradely one, hoping we are as concerned as is. He deals with the complexities of conservation efforts (and resistance to them) with an even hand, and the book is as rigorous as it is readable. The author, who also serves on the faculty at Caltech, reminds us that the time to campaign for a species' survival is when it is at its most prolific, rather than being in decline, because abundance offers more lessons than loss. He also questions our certitude as to what, over the passage of time, is and is not an indigenous or "invasive" tree--such as the alternately loved and loathed blue gum eucalyptus, introduced to California from Australia. Lewis also explores the strategies, old and new, involved in aiding species' survival. The author clearly regards trees as the heartbeat of the world, providing "a bulwark against a changing climate, offering nourishment, rest and sustenance for other species, and space and quiet in their midst." A well-informed, staunch defense of trees' capacity to multiply biodiversity and support life on Earth. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

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