“There is something about a tree that invites respect. One is small before a tree. One has a short life in comparison.”Christel Kvant is deeply committed to the subject and has spent a long time gathering information about the trees of the world. At ...
“There is something about a tree that invites respect. One is small before a tree. One has a short life in comparison.”
Christel Kvant is deeply committed to the subject and has spent a long time gathering information about the trees of the world. At the same time, the texts lead to a new and ancient insight about the great importance of trees for our lives, for life on Earth. And trees have indeed been worshipped and regarded as holy in most regions through the ages.
The lofty perspective on existence feels very topical, and hopefully the publication of this book will help many people to become more aware of the importance of respecting and caring for the trees. They are not just the largest living organisms on Earth. They filter the air, provide us with water, protection, food, medicines. Where there are trees, there are bushes too, and flowers, animals, birds, insects and fungi. And where trees are felled for short-term profit, it is not only the trees that disappear but all the other life too. The consequences are most apparent on islands: for example, the author describes how the mythological civilisation on Easter Island died out when the last trees were felled.
The text contains lots of exciting details and provides plenty of food for thought. When asked how she would like to classify the book, the author replies that it is hard to say whether it is about cultural history, philosophy, life style or is a book about the environment. “It is all of that.”