Tree: A Biography

(Flora & Fauna General) Signed by Author. (Inscription.) First Edition. ‘Tree’ tells the life story of a single majestic Douglas-fir on the Pacific coast of North America. The story begins with the release of millions of microscopic grains of pollen that coat thousands of pine cones on neighbouring trees, one pollen grain fertilises an egg cell to create a seed and that seed develops into a tree. We follow the tree’s progress as it grows and discover the role it plays in the forest throughout its life – and after its death – from its use as a home to a succession of creatures to the crucial part it plays in the water cycle, from breaking rock down into soil, to removing carbon dioxide from the air, producing oxygen, how its decaying wood provides nutrients for insects and fungi.ix, 190 p. : ill. ; 21cm. Bibliography: p. 181-183. #281121 Douglas fir — Life cycles. | Douglas fir — Development. | Douglas fir — Growth.
Visitors to the Pacific Northwest often find themselves awed by the size of the trees, especially the grand and ubiquitous “Douglas-fir.” In this slight, lovely book, environmentalist Suzuki (The Sacred Balance) and Grady (The Bone Museum) tell the tale of one Douglas-fir tree that lived for more than five centuries (“Around the time its seed was soaking in the sunshine… the Aztec Empire was building its capital city”).