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 Milarch, a northern Michigan nurseryman with a
penchant for hard living, had a vision: angels came to tell him that the
earth was in trouble. Its trees were dying, and without them, human life
was in jeopardy. The solution, they told him, was to clone the champion
trees of the world--the largest, the hardiest, the ones that had
survived millennia and were most resilient to climate change--and create
a kind of Noah's ark of tree genetics. Without knowing if the message
had any basis in science, or why he'd been chosen for this task, Milarch
began his mission of cloning the world's great trees. Many scientists
and tree experts told him it couldn't be done, but, twenty years later,
his team has successfully cloned some of the world's oldest trees--among
them giant redwoods and sequoias. They have also grown seedlings from
the oldest tree in the world, the bristlecone pine Methuselah.
When New York Times journalist Jim Robbins came upon Milarch's story,
he was fascinated but had his doubts. Yet over several years, listening
to Milarch and talking to scientists, he came to realize that there is
so much we do not yet know about trees: how they die, how they
communicate, the myriad crucial ways they filter water and air and
otherwise support life on Earth. It became clear that as the planet
changes, trees and forest are essential to assuring its survival.
Praise for The Man Who Planted Trees
"This is a story of miracles and obsession and love and survival. Told
with Jim Robbins's signature clarity and eye for telling detail, The
Man Who Planted Trees is also the most hopeful book I've read in years.
I kept thinking of the end of Saint Francis's wonderful prayer, 'And may
God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you can make a
difference in the world, so that you can do what others claim cannot be
done.' "--Alexandra Fuller, author of Don't Let's Go to the Dogs
Tonight
"Absorbing, eloquent, and loving . . . While Robbins's tone is urgent,
it doesn't compromise his crystal-clear science. . . . Even the smallest
details here are fascinating."--Dominique Browning, The New York
Times Book Review
"The great poet W. S. Merwin once wrote, 'On the last day of the world I
would want to plant a tree.' It's good to see, in this lovely volume,
that some folks are getting a head start!"--Bill McKibben, author of
Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet
"Inspiring . . . Robbins lucidly summarizes the importance and value of
trees to planet Earth and all humanity."--The Ecologist
" 'Imagine a world without trees, ' writes journalist Jim Robbins. It's
nearly impossible after reading The Man Who Planted Trees, in which
Robbins weaves science and spirituality as he explores the bounty these
plants offer the planet."--Audubon
