Noted author and biologist to speak about trees at the Cary Institute
MILLBROOK – On Friday, June 9 at 7 p.m. the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies and the Open Space Institute will be offering a special presentation by biologist and Pulitzer Prize finalist David George Haskell. Haskell will discuss his new book, The Songs of Trees, Stories from Nature’s Great Connectors.
Haskell is a professor of biology and environmental studies at the University of the South and a Guggenheim Fellow. His work integrates scientific, literary, and contemplative studies of the natural world. In this lecture, Haskell will share his deep understanding of the complexity of trees and the ways that they shape ecosystems.
Haskell visited a dozen trees around the world to explore their interactions with surrounding communities of fungi, bacteria, cooperative and destructive animals, and other plants. The story of an Amazonian Ceibo tree reveals the ecological turmoil of the tropical forest and threats from expanding oil fields. Thousands of miles away, the roots of a balsam fir in Canada survive in poor soil only with the help of fungal partners.
By unearthing charcoal left by Ice Age humans and petrified redwoods in the Rocky Mountains, Haskell shows how the Earth’s climate has been influenced by exchanges among trees, soil communities, and the atmosphere. Now, humans have transformed these networks by powering our societies with the wood and selectively managing some forests while destroying others.
Haskell is also interested in trees living where humans seem to have ‘tamed’ nature. With examples including a pear tree on a Manhattan sidewalk, an olive tree in Jerusalem, and a Japanese bonsai, Haskell demonstrates that wildness permeates every location.
The New York Times says “Haskell thinks like a biologist, writes like a poet, and gives the natural world the kind of open-minded attention one expects from a Zen monk rather than a hypothesis-driven scientist.” His networked view of life enriches our understanding of biology, human nature, and ethics.
Free and open to the public, the event will be held in the Cary Institute’s auditorium, located at 2801 Sharon Turnpike (Route 44) in Millbrook, N.Y. For more information, call (845) 677-7600 x 121 or visit our website at www.caryinstitute.org.
Seating is first come first served. Books will be available for purchase by Merritt Bookstore.
