In Trees: An Exploration

Journalist Moor (On Trails) defines trees as “a way of being” in this impassioned examination of their history and biology. Since human ancestors lived among their branches, trees have shaped humanity’s sense of time, self, and life, Moor argues. He recounts his own experience climbing trees, including a course he took in England, where, high up off the ground, he felt “precarious, grateful, and, most of all, alive.” Elsewhere, he shares findings from tree science, explaining how they exhale by opening pores on their leaves that allow water to evaporate; shed and regrow their branches; and, in some species, change sexes throughout their lifetimes. Moor also explores his family tree and learns about a slave-owning ancestor, which prompts him to travel to Alabama to reckon with this legacy. Trees inspire his view of history: “The present grows, always, upon the deadwood of the past,” he writes. This “arborescent thinking” encourages him to participate in a protest atop a tree slated for felling and inspires his own desire for rootedness: “to stay put, to slow down, to learn my local ecology.” Synthesizing reportage and philosophy, Moor’s nature writing is beautiful and refreshingly original. The result is a moving testament to the power of trees. (Apr.)