The trees tell stories through leaves, cortex and roots. Tristan Gooley, an expert in natural orientation, teaches to decipher the secrets in his book “HOW TO READ A TREE”. A fascinating journey between science and nature to rediscover the landscape and ourselves through the art of reading trees
Each tree resembles an open book. Its leaves, the resin, the footprints of animals around the roots reveal secrets on its existence and on the landscape that surrounds it. Every detail hides a clue, a fragment of the secret language of the trees and the natural wonders that surround us.
Let’s imagine we find ourselves far from home, immersed in a rainforest or in a bosco of conifers. The feeling of bewilderment could attach us but in reality we are not really lost. Every tree we meet can talk to us, reveal to us where we are and, perhaps, even who we are. The clues he leaves are not difficult to decipher, if we have a guide capable of showing us where to look for them. Nobody plays this role better than Tristan Gooley, defined by the BBC lo “Sherlock Holmes of the natural world”.
How every tree tells a unique story
In his book “Read the trees”, Gooley, famous for the method of “Natural orientation” who made him an authority in the field of landscape sciences, leads readers to a fascinating journey. Through branches, leaves and roots, he teaches to recognize hidden shapes, patterns and signals.
“How to Read a Tree: Clues and Patterns from Bark to Leaves”original title of the text, “How to read a tree: clues and patterns from the cortex to the leaves”, in Italian, published on May 2, 2023, explores this secret language, revealing how each tree tells a unique story through apparently insignificant details.
Leaves with a clear central strip can indicate the presence of water nearby. Young and low branches indicate that the tree is struggling to survive. A bark with reddish or purple reflections suggests recent growth. Gooley, with the sensitivity of a naturalist of the past, intertwines science and literature, empirical tests and symbols, transforming his work into much more than a simple manual.
An essential reading
Reading the trees is not only a way to orient themselves in a wood, but a profound call to rediscover parts of ourselves that the noise of modernity has overshadowed. Observing trees carefully allows you to better understand the ground, the climate and the story of a place. “How to Read a Tree”, Available in paper and digital format on different platforms, it is an essential reading for anyone who wants to deepen the link between the trees and the world around them.
Tristan Gooley
British writer and author of Bestsellers of the New York Times, master in the art of reading trees, Tristan Gooley, for over twenty years he has been teaching people how to decipher their secrets. Member of Royal Institute of Navigation and of the Royal Geographical Societyis the only one in the world to have crossed the Atlantic alone, both by sea and in flight. His works, translated all over the world, are a window on a natural universe that only waits to be understood.