A picture book is not only teaching children about forest regeneration, but helped Missouri environmental activist Tricia Falmer hone her skills in advocating for the preservation of the woodlands in Ladue, Mo., a St. Louis suburb.
After receiving a complaint from a neighbor that there were logs and dead tree limbs on Falmer’s property, city officials ordered her to remove anything that was 60% dead or dying. Despite Falmer’s efforts to advocate for the preservation of the woodlands on the 1.82 acres she owns, she was overruled, with officials referring to the city ordinance.
Shortly afterwards, Falmer recalled, she was browsing in a Kansas City bookstore and picked up When a Tree Falls: Nurse Logs and Their Incredible Forest Power by Kirsten Pendreigh, illustrated by Elke Boschinger (Chronicle, Mar.). “It was all about how important nurse logs are, and I thought, this author is trying to teach children what I’m trying to teach a whole community. I bought the book because it clearly said everything I’ve been trying to say.”
Falmer then resolved to do something “positive,” to raise awareness among “the future leaders of our community” about preserving woodlands, using When a Tree Falls to illustrate the key points.
When she called the local school district and offered to provide students copies of When a Tree Falls, district representatives told her that it “fit perfectly” into the first grade and third grade curriculum. Trying to gather as many copies as she could, Falmer said she "reached out to Barnes & Noble and asked them if they could help round up 500 copies.” Falmer ended up purchasing 350 copies for donation to all of the third graders in the Ladue school district.
Falmer is also using When a Tree Falls as a tool to educate adults. This past spring, Falmer, along with members of the Ladue Garden Club, used the book as “an educational element” that enabled them to apply for a grant to plant new trees in a local park after a tornado tore through it. The application was successful, Falmer said, and the group can now begin planting trees. “So this book really has got a lot of legs,” she said.
Most recently, Falmer and her allies have been pushing for the Ladue city ordinance forbidding nurse logs to be amended. “We’re showing up at [city] meetings, demanding that some language be added to these ordinances that will better protect the woodlands. That is what our mission is right now,” she said.
As for Pendreigh, she is thrilled that her book is having so much traction in Missouri. Although she wrote When a Tree Falls for children, she said she quickly realized that it resonates “on a deeper emotional level” with adults. “The tree in the book reminds them how they were nurtured by the generation before them,” she said. “Now, they carry that responsibility forward, to protect the world that today’s children will inherit. And advocating for woodland preservation is a natural extension of that responsibility.”
Not only that, Pendreigh said, but Falmer is teaching children an important life lesson about channeling setbacks into positive action. “It’s inspiring,” Pendreigh said. “She has set a great example for all of us about bouncing back with creative generosity.”
This story has been updated for clarification.
