The Wild Trees

I began rereading The Wild Trees: A Story of Passion and Daring, by Richard Preston, the other day, and my imagination is captivated. I read this book when it first came out in 2007, but the big trees of my own forest have sent me reaching for it again. This is the story of the small group of scientists who pioneered research in the canopies of redwood forests. Climbing into the tallest trees on earth, these scientists discovered an unknown world. This is a story of science and adventure.

When Steve Sillett first climbed into the crown of a giant coast redwood, the scientific world had a rock collection from the moon, but the canopy of the redwood forest was still unknown territory. This is a world filled with mosses, lichens, spotted salamanders, gardens of ferns and huckleberry bushes, all growing 350 feet above the forest floor. 96% of the ancient redwood forest has been destroyed by logging. What remains are precious treasures, very old and irreplaceable in human lifetimes. This story makes me want to know and understand everything I can about my own forest.

"So many incredible things happen in our world that are never noticed, so many stories never get told. My goal is to reveal people and realms that nobody had ever imagined."

-- Richard Preston, 2007.