In case you didn’t get the memo, trees are really important. Forests are literally the lungs of planet Earth and trees like oak (Quercus spp) support hundreds of species of butterflies and moths, which in turn support our local bird communities.
I was excited to read Beresford-Kroeger’s new book and hear her viewpoint. She’s a scientist who brings a certain je ne sais quoi to the mix because she was also steeped in ancient celtic knowledge at an early age. She may be the last person to have been taught this way directly.
Diana isn’t your average writer, she’s a polymath with undergrad degrees in botany and medical biochemistry and a masters from University College Cork. She received a Ph.D. in biology from Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Along the way she received a fellowship from UConn to study nuclear radiation in biological systems and
organic chemistry, and received a diploma in experimental surgery from the University of Ottawa.
She has always been about understanding the interface between plants and humans. Her endeavors were aided by having a photographic memory for equations and a nearly photographic memory for everything else.
Diana is the daughter of Jack Beresford and Eileen O’Donoghue. Her father came from a family of English aristocrats and her mother was descended from the kings of Munster. Ireland had a number of kings at one time.
Her mother insisted on an Irish education. Unfortunately, her parents died within a few months of each other. She was in Ireland when she was orphaned at 12 and the Irish courts ruled that she could stay with her uncle in Cork. Her uncle’s library included 10,000 first editions.
She attended school in Cork and spent summers at her great-aunt’s farm in the Lisheen Valley where she was taught the old ways by elders in the community. (Under old Irish law an orphan was considered everybody’s child.) In her subsequent studies she’s been able to scientifically confirm much of what she learned as a child.
The Druids considered oak trees sacred. It seems they were on to something as oaks are now considered to be the most ecologically valuable tree. Maybe the indigenous woodland people of the world knew a lot more than we realize? Modern science is just now beginning to understand tree communication and the properties of Mother Trees and the fungal mycelium.
The book ends with a description of the Ogham alphabet, an ancient form of writing based on tree names that was used in the British Isles.
It’s an interesting read that ends with a call to action; her bioplan to renew the global forest. It shares an affinity with Doug Tallamy’s Homegrown National Park and Edwina von Gal’s Two Thirds for the Birds. She believes we can stop global warming if we all plant one native tree each year for six years.
I found this book enjoyable because of my interest in ecology and the Celts. Beresford-Kroeger’s unique approach to science, and the world in general, was a refreshing surprise. Her mission to combine modern science with ancient wisdom and explain it to the rest of us is worth checking out.
– Will Rowlands
GLOBAL FOREST REVIVAL
Develop a new relationship with nature. Join together to replant the global
forest.
All things are connected on planet Earth, from the burning eye of the volcano and the brilliant colors of a butterfly’s wing, to the chlorophyll of plants and life within the seas. In recent years the tapestry of life has been damaged.
The Bioplan is the tool to mend the holes in the fabric – so that forests will be planted, the seas will have fish and marine life, the air will have more oxygen and less carbon dioxide.
How to Participate
Plant one native tree per year for the next six years. If we can globally plant 48 billion trees over the next 6 years we can reverse the effects of climate change.
Other simple strategies to help:
• Encourage the planting of native trees
• Protect the trees in your neighborhood
• Protect the native forests
To Speak for the Trees – My Life’s Journey from Ancient Celtic Wisdom to a Healing Vision of the Forest
275 pages, 5.375” × 8.25”
Paperback $22.95, eBook $17.95
ISBN 9781643261324
Timber Press – timberpress.com
