This Old Tree
522 FOLLOWERS
Old trees are awe inspiring links to the past that fire our historical imagination. Ever wonder what their stories are? Seasoned arborist and amateur historian Doug Still interviews local experts, historians, and regular folks to celebrate the myths and uncover the real tales. If you're a tree lover, join in to look "beyond the plaque" at heritage trees and the human stories behind..
This Old Tree
2M ago
A large old mulberry tree at Truro Vineyards on Cape Cod comes with a legend. A sea captain brought it back from the South Pacific and planted it for his young wife. Or his girlfriend. Or someone named Amelia. Is this story true? Who was the captain, and what became of him?
Come along to open dusty books, unfurl old maps, and decide what you think.
Guests
Kristin Roberts
Owner
Truro Vineyards
Truro, MA
Ken MacPhee
Arborist Representative
Bartlett Tree Experts
Orleans, MA
Janice Pelosi
Manager
Truro Historical Society
Truro, MA
Norman Pope
Volunteer
Truro Historical Society
Truro, MA
Peter ..read more
This Old Tree
3M ago
This is the third edition of "Tree Story Shorts" on This Old Tree, where guests get to contribute and tell their own tree stories! Charles Darwin, bride and groom trees, a massive American elm in Illinois, Al Capone, original tree-inspired music, a tree used for meetings at an army base, a moving story from war-torn Ukraine - this episode has it all! Listen in to hear what people have to say about the trees that inspire them.
Guests
Rob McBride
The Tree Hunter
Georgia Barnhill
Amherst Historical Society
Amherst, MA
Joe Hansen
The Municipal Arborist Podcast
Illinois
Grayson Bo Guthrie
Balti ..read more
This Old Tree
4M ago
The Fabrykant Oak, translated as the "Factory Owner's Oak," received 45,000 votes to become Europe's Tree of the Year. Located in Łódź, it captures the hearts of people in its home country of Poland and around the world. Full of personality and stunningly beautiful, the story of this Quercus robur strikes deep into the city's culture and history. How does an old tree overcome the past to become a symbol of rebirth and a brighter future?
Guests
Adam Golub
Project Manager and Brussels Representative
European Tree of the Year
Environmental Partnership Association
treeoftheyear.org
Br ..read more
This Old Tree
5M ago
A 300 yr-old Live Oak tree on the campus of Hampton University in Virginia stuns visitors with its strength and beauty. It’s also an enduring symbol of a watershed moment in American history - the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation during the Civil War, which freed enslaved people in the rebel states.
How could a tree play a role in that momentous event, at least locally? What did emancipation truly mean to African-Americans in 1863? How does the tree still inspire the hearts and imagination of people today?
Guests
Abra Lee
Garden Historian, Writer, Lecturer
conquerthesoil.com
Directo ..read more
This Old Tree
7M ago
A stunning copper beech tree in Ireland’s County Galway attracts tourists from around the world. Lady Gregory was its owner, and she drew legendary writers of her day to her house and garden at Coole Park - William Butler Yeats, George Bernard Shaw, and others. If they were lucky, they were allowed to etch their names into the bark of what’s now known as the Autograph Tree. Learn the full story steeped in Irish literary history.
Guests
Jenni McGuire
Head Guide, Coole Park Nature Reserve
Gort, County Galway, Ireland
Margaux Pierrel
Conservation Ranger, Coole Park Nature Reserve
Gort, County G ..read more
This Old Tree
8M ago
This season 1 recap features thematic highlights from the first 18 episodes, Doug's favorite songs about trees, and an interview with Dee Lee, arborist and songwriter!
Featured Songs and Artists
Redwood Tree, Van Morrison
Saint Dominick's Preview, 1972
Warner Bros, Inc.
English Trees, Crowded House
Time on Earth, 2007
Parlophone & ATO Records
Trees, Louis Armstrong & George Jenkins and His Orchestra
1954
Big Yellow Taxi, Joni Mitchell
Ladies of the Canyon, 1970
Reprise Records, Crazy Crow Music
King of Trees, Yusuf/Cat Stevens
Buddha and the Chocolate Box, 1974
A&M Rec ..read more
This Old Tree
9M ago
The Founders' Oak in New Braunfels is a "Famous Tree of Texas." The 300 yr-old live oak has given shelter to a Spanish Mission, a German Prince who brought thousands of settlers, old Texas families that date back to the Alamo, and the Comanche Nation. Its cultural history is rich, and includes a new designation as a "Comanche Marker Tree." What is it about this tree's history that mirrors the founding of Texas itself?
Co-Host
Emily King
Urban Forester, Community Tree Preservation Division
City of Austin, TX
Austin's Community Tree Report
Austin's Tree Canopy
Guests
Tim Barker
President, Frie ..read more
This Old Tree
10M ago
The Brontë Oak is a massive white oak tree in Oakville, Ontario that has been threatened by every type of construction project imaginable. Logging, overhead power lines, a regional water conduit, highway expansion, you name it. But in the face of multi-billion dollar corporations, it still stands thanks to the collective efforts of a persuasive neighbor, two savvy arborists, an 87 yr-old schoolteacher, a tuned-in Town Councilor, and a favorite Canadian folk rock singer.
Guests
John McNeil
Consulting Arborist
McNeil Urban Forestry, Inc.
Oakville, Ontario
LinkedIn
Pete Williams
Consulting Fore ..read more
This Old Tree
1y ago
In 1946, 153 "Moses Cleaveland Trees" were chosen as landmark trees to represent the City of Cleveland's 150-yr anniversary. Not only did they harken back to the pre-settlement forest - they were in fact part of it. The existence of each one became hazy over time, until a group organized by the City and the Early Settlers Association set out to find them again. Do they still survive?
Guests
Dr. Roy Larick
Retired Archaeologist
Owner of Bluestone Heights
Member of the Early Settlers Association of the Western Reserve
https://www.earlysettlers.org/
Margeaux Apple
Collections Coordinator ..read more
This Old Tree
1y ago
Meet the charming old katsura tree in Beatrix Farrand’s famous garden at Dumbarton Oaks. It might be the oldest katsura in North America, or maybe not, but its origins relate to the burgeoning interest in Japanese trees and plants in the second half of the 19th century when Japan opened up to the world. Listen in, as the tree receives some traditional care from Japanese Master Gardener Kurato Fujimoto.
Guests
Ron Henderson
Founding Principal
Lirio Landscape Architecture
Professor of Landscape Architecture + Urbanism
Illinois Institute of Technology
Kurato Fujimoto
Master Gardener
Kenroku-en ..read more