cover image Witness Tree: Seasons of Change with a Century-Old Oak

Witness Tree: Seasons of Change with a Century-Old Oak

Lynda V. Mapes. Bloomsbury, $27 (240p) ISBN 978-1-63286-253-2

Seattle Times reporter Mapes (Elwha: A River Reborn) spends a year exploring the “miracle of the ordinary” through physical proximity to a single large but otherwise unexceptional specimen of a ubiquitous tree, the red oak, inside the Harvard Forest in central Massachusetts. The work echoes Thoreau’s retreat to Walden in form, though Mapes’s tree is less her teacher than a cherished primary source. Mapes occasionally bursts forth with moments of wonder in recounting her experience, but her overall style of engagement is more academic than sensual. She includes a broad range of expertise and perspective, seeking out archivists, phenologists, carpenters, soil ecologists, professional tree climbers, and local cows, and considering the technologies of webcams and drones. The net effect is pleasant but bland. Mapes displays a down-to-earth optimism in her smooth prose and cheerful banter in her conversations, but her experience feels overly planned and curated; her year-long narrative lacks any notable moments beyond her scheduled expert visits, especially when compared to the lively history of the area that she pulls from Harvard’s archives. Mapes acknowledges climate change fears but ends on a positive note about trees’ resilience and New England’s rewilding in the last century. Her work is unfortunately underwhelming. Agent: Elizabeth Wales, Wales Literary. (Apr.)