This Old Tree

In the small town of Santa María del Tule, in the heart of Oaxaca, Mexico, stands a Montezuma Cypress more than 2,000 years old. Its trunk is considered the widest of any tree on Earth.

For over a millennium, the Tule Tree has drawn visitors: the Zapotec, Mixe, and Mixtec peoples who revered it, Spanish colonizers, and traders from across Mesoamerica. Today, travelers from around the world make it a tourist destination.

In this episode, host Doug Still sits down in the tree's shade with the town's mayor, members of the Tule Tree Committee, and arborists from the Mexican Association of Arboriculture. A local historian shares the town's long story, and we hear the legend of King Kondoy, the hero whose planted staff became the tree.

But this giant is about more than size. How is it the guiding light of the community? What is an axis mundi? And what do the people of Tule sacrifice to keep the famous tree alive?

Guests
Antonio Vásquez Vásquez
Historian and Author, Santa María del Tule: Una revisión histórica
Santa María del Tule, Mexico

Tule Tree Committee, Santa Mariá del Tule
Fabián Santiago Bautista, Mayor
Roberto Peralta Vásquez, President
Abel Ramirez, Chronicler of the Tree
Hilda Méndez Ibáñez
Jocelyn Soto Mengol
Germán Miguel Martin Méndez
Omar Jardin Vásquez

Víctor Velasco López
Arborist and President
Asociación Mexicana de Arboricultura (AMA)

Aurora Torres
Arborist
Asociación Mexicana de Arboricultura (AMA)

Fernando Ramírez Ángeles
Tour Guide
Oaxaca City, Mexico

Reading
"Leyenda del Rey Kondoy" or "The Legend of King Kondoy"
Traditional (Mixe)
Adaptation by Jessica Paolo Martínez José
Instituto Nacional de los Pueblos Indígenas

Voiceover Artists
Marta Martínez, Rhode Island Latino Arts
Alejandra Ruelas, Casa Azul Tacquería
Ángel Vásquez Gómez
Robb Barnard
Ed Nardell

References
Santa María del Tule: Una revisión histórica, Antonio Vásquez Vásquez, 2025.

Live Music
Banda Indomable de Oaxaca
Mariachi mi País
Band of the 28th Military Zone

Special thanks
Candace Powning
Diana Marchal

Theme Music
"This Old Tree," Diccon Lee, http://deeleetree.com/

Artwork
Dahn Hiuni, https://www.dahnhiuni.com/home

Website
http://thisoldtree.show/
Transcripts available.

Follow on
Facebook or Instagram

This Old Tree podcast is a sponsored project of the New England Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture. To support This Old Tree and New England ISA, click here.

We want to hear about the favorite tree in your life! To submit a ~4 or 5 minute audio story for consideration for an upcoming episode of "Tree Story Shorts" on This Old Tree, record the story on your phone’s voice memo app and email to:
doug@thisoldtree.net

This episode was written in part at LitArts RI, a community organization and co-working space that supports Rhode Island's creators.
https://www.litartsri.org/

A lone mulberry tree stands beside the Washington Monument. It is curious, unexpected, and impossible to ignore once you notice it. Who planted it? Is it historic? Is it one tree or two? Why is it preserved, when there is no other tree on the immediate grounds?

D.C. tree tour guide Sam Nelson chased down the answers, found in a 2014 government report. The author is landscape historian Jonathan Pliska, who also wrote A Garden for the President: A History of the White House Gardens.

In celebration of America's 250th birthday, host Doug Still hands the mic to Sam and Jonathan for a conversation that explores the mysteries of this mulberry tree next to our iconic national monument. The story involves several early champions of 19th century horticulture, and the history of the National Mall itself.

Guests
Sam Nelson
Writer, Educator, Naturalist
Tree Stories, LLC

Jonathan Pliska
Author and Landscape Historian
A Garden for the President: A History of the White House Gardens

References
Historic American Landscape Survey (HALS), National Park Service (website)

Music
"The Dying Poet," Louis Moreau Gottschalk, 1863
Played by Jim Rice

Photo credit
Sam Nelson

Theme Music
"This Old Tree," Diccon Lee, http://deeleetree.com/

Artwork
Dahn Hiuni, https://www.dahnhiuni.com/home

Website
http://thisoldtree.show/
Transcripts available.

Follow on
Facebook or Instagram

This Old Tree podcast is a sponsored project of the New England Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture. To support This Old Tree and New England ISA, click here.

We want to hear about the favorite tree in your life! To submit a ~4 or 5 minute audio story for consideration for an upcoming episode of "Tree Story Shorts" on This Old Tree, record the story on your phone’s voice memo app and email to:
doug@thisoldtree.net

This episode was written in part at LitArts RI, a community organization and co-working space that supports Rhode Island's creators.
https://www.litartsri.org/

Kongeegen, or the 1,500 year old “King’s Oak,” is deep inside a forest called Jægerspris Nordskov in Denmark. The tree is named after 19th century King Frederik VII, who owned a nearby castle with his wife, the Countess Danner. It is a national treasure and one of northern Europe’s oldest living oak trees.

Getting there meant a two-mile hike through the woods with guests Anders Jensen of the Danish Tree Association and forest historian Helle Serup of The Green Museum. They tell the biological story of Kongeegen, and how Denmark sees its forests.

But there is also a love story - a tangled affair between the unconventional Frederik, the Countess Danner (aka Louise Rasmussen), and a wealthy newspaper publisher named Carl Berling. The Countess's own love letters embellish this true story from her point of view - scandal, romance, and all - and how it led them to seek shelter from the rain under this ancient oak.

Guests
Helle Serup
Curator, Det Grønne Museum (The Green Museum)
Auning, Denmark

Anders Jensen
Vice Chairman
Dansk Træplejeforening (The Danish Tree Care Association)

Reading
"Beneath Kongeegen" by Doug Still and Ida Zecco, read byIda Zecco and Martha Douglas-Osmundson (Louise Rasmussen's letters)

References
"Din hengivnes Louise": Louise Rasmussens breve til Carl Berling og kronprins/kong Frederik VII, 1844-1850." Ved Pernille Arenfeldt og Pernille Hasselsteen. Kong Frederik VII's Stiftelse Paa Jægerspris, Forlaget Fremad,

Music
"La Sylphide, Music for the Bournonville ballet" by Herman Severin Løvenskiold. Royal Danish Orchestra, Chandos Records, 1991.

Special thanks
Dansk Træplejeforening
Robb Barnard
Ed Nardell

Theme Music
"This Old Tree," Diccon Lee, http://deeleetree.com/

Artwork
Dahn Hiuni, https://www.dahnhiuni.com/home

Website
http://thisoldtree.show/
Transcripts available.

Follow on
Facebook or Instagram

This Old Tree podcast is a sponsored project of the New England Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture. To support This Old Tree and New England ISA, click here.

We want to hear about the favorite tree in your life! To submit a ~4 or 5 minute audio story for consideration for an upcoming episode of "Tree Story Shorts" on This Old Tree, record the story on your phone’s voice memo app and email to:
doug@thisoldtree.net

This episode was written in part at LitArts RI, a community organization and co-working space that supports Rhode Island's creators.
https://www.litartsri.org/

Sa Melabrina is a Downy Oak tree the size of a small church, draped in moss and ferns. Her ancient arms spread wide in the surrounding forest near Illorai, Sardinia. She's the oldest and largest of her kind in all of Europe. And she's been standing here in these mountains for nine centuries.

What she symbolizes is even greater than her beauty.

The town’s mayor organized a remarkable conference drawing scientists, conservationists, and community leaders from across Sardinia and beyond, all united around a single idea: that Sardinia's ancient trees, its oldest living landmarks, could form a network worth protecting, visiting, and fighting for.

There is something else at stake. Sardinia's small towns are quietly shrinking. Depopulation is hollowing out villages that have survived for millennia. Saving these old trees is vital, but Sardinia's leaders ask a new type of question:

Can Sa Melabrina and Sardinia’s monumental trees save its small towns?

Guests
Gianluca Grande, Mayor
Illorai, Sardinia

Dr. Gianluigi Bacchetta
Professor, Department of Life and Environmental Sciences
Director, Centre for the Conservation of Biodiversity and Germplasm Bank of Sardinia
University of Cagliari, Sardinia

Pina Muras
Resident of Illorai, Sardinia

Carlo Poddi
Arborist, Sassari, Sardinia

Readings
"Su chercu pius bellu" (The Most Beautiful Oak) by Ignazio Camarda - read by Fulgenzio Piras
"The Sa Melabrina Oak" by Graziano Nudda

Quote by T.S. Eliot from "The Little Gidding"

Voiceover Readers
Manuela Buonanno (Pina Muras)
Jeff Taliaferro (Graziano Nudda reading)

Music
Sa Melabrina Choir

Conference hospitality provided by Proloco

Oak Species of Sardinia - Quercus pubescens group
Quercus dalechampii (Downy Oak)
Quercus ichnusae
Quercus congesta
Quercus virgiliana

Other Oak species in Sardinia
Quercus ilex (Holm Oak)
Quercus suber (Cork Oak)
Quercus calliprinos
Quercus morisi

Theme Music
"This Old Tree," Diccon Lee, http://deeleetree.com/

Artwork
Dahn Hiuni, https://www.dahnhiuni.com/home

Website
http://thisoldtree.show/
Transcripts available.

Follow on
Facebook or Instagram

This Old Tree podcast is a sponsored project of the New England Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture. To support This Old Tree and New England ISA, click here.

We want to hear about the favorite tree in your life! To submit a ~4 or 5 minute audio story for consideration for an upcoming episode of "Tree Story Shorts" on This Old Tree, record the story on your phone’s voice memo app and email to:
doug@thisoldtree.net

This episode was written in part at LitArts RI, a community organization and co-working space that supports Rhode Island's creators.
https://www.litartsri.org/

In the small Estonian town of Orissaare, football players dribble around a 150-year-old oak tree standing impossibly in the middle of their soccer field or "stadium." What seems like a quirky local oddity became a symbol of national pride when this tree won the 2015 European Tree of the Year, beating much larger countries like Hungary, Spain, and the UK.

How did an unknown Estonian oak outcompete all of Europe? The answer involves brilliant PR, ancient folklore, a fierce independence forged by centuries of foreign invasion, and a profound connection to forests rooted in animism. Could a tree resist the Soviets? Learn about its inspiring legend that captured the attention of tree-lovers around the world.

Guests
Aliide Naylor
Journalist and Author
London, UK
The Shadow in the East: Vladimir Putin and the New Baltic Front
https://www.aliidenaylor.com/

Heiki Hanso
Arborist
Orissaare, Estonia

Andla Rüütel
Manager, Orissaare Sports Hall
Orissaare, Estonia

Voiceover Reading for Andla Rüütel
Martha Douglas-Osmundson
LinkedIn Profile

Songs (in order)
"Saaremaa valss," Georg Ots
"Ma vaatan paadist kiikriga," Boris Lehtlaan
"Metsavendade laul (sõnadega) - Forest Brothers' Song," Untsakad
"Isegi unes," Stig Rästa (permission from FAAR Music)

Other References
"The Favours of the Sacred Tree," Estonian Folk Tales: the Heavenly Wedding,
Piret Paar and Anne Turnpu, authors, 2005.

Silence of the Gods: The Untold History of Europe's Last Pagan Peoples, Francis Young, 2025.

European Tree of the Year, Environmental Partnership Association

Theme Music
"This Old Tree," Diccon Lee, http://deeleetree.com/

Artwork
Dahn Hiuni, https://www.dahnhiuni.com/home

Website
http://thisoldtree.show/
Transcripts available.

Follow on
Facebook or Instagram

This Old Tree podcast is a sponsored project of the New England Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture. To support This Old Tree and New England ISA, click here.

We want to hear about the favorite tree in your life! To submit a ~4 or 5 minute audio story for consideration for an upcoming episode of "Tree Story Shorts" on This Old Tree, record the story on your phone’s voice memo app and email to:
doug@thisoldtree.net

This episode was written in part at LitArts RI, a community organization and co-working space that supports Rhode Island's creators.
https://www.litartsri.org/

What happens when six arborists come down from the trees to step behind the mic? Find out by listening to this special episode of stories by tree professionals told LIVE in front of an audience at the annual conference of the New England Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture.

Where does the adrenaline come from? What barriers have been climbed? What drives them, ropes and harness in hand? Hear what arborists say about defining moments in their careers, their struggles, and what they love about their profession.

Guests
Heidi Shingleton
Arborist
Dirigo Tree Service
Freeport, ME

David Anderson
Arborist
Mayer Tree Service
Essex, MA

June Moulis
Student, Urban Forestry and Arboriculture Concentration
UMASS Amherst

Tom Marino
Certified Arborist
SavATree
Norwalk, CT

Lindsay Watkins
Strafford County Forester
UNH Cooperative Extension
Durham, NH

Rich Cartier
Northeast Territory Manager
Rainbow Ecoscience
Milford, MA

Stories told on location at "The Canopy Connection: 2025 New England Chapter ISA Annual Conference and Trade Show," Southbridge, MA, October 7, 2025.

Music
"Not Long Now," Falconer

Theme Music
"This Old Tree," Diccon Lee, http://deeleetree.com/

Artwork
Dahn Hiuni, https://www.dahnhiuni.com/home

Website
http://thisoldtree.show/
Transcripts available.

Follow on
Facebook or Instagram

This Old Tree podcast is a sponsored project of the New England Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture. To support This Old Tree and New England ISA, click here.

We want to hear about the favorite tree in your life! To submit a ~4 or 5 minute audio story for consideration for an upcoming episode of "Tree Story Shorts" on This Old Tree, record the story on your phone’s voice memo app and email to:
doug@thisoldtree.net

This episode was written in part at LitArts RI, a community organization and co-working space that supports Rhode Island's creators.
https://www.litartsri.org/

High up in California's Sierra Nevada mountains stands the largest tree on earth by volume - the General Sherman Tree. The famous giant sequoia has captivated millions of visitors, but few know the rich tapestry of stories woven around its massive trunk.

Join us as we explore the “Giant Forest” of Sequoia National Park with former park ranger and author William C. Tweed. From the indigenous Monache and Yokuts who first walked among these giants, to ambitious Euro-American explorers like John Muir, to a Black Army Captain who became the parks first true manager, discover how "first encounters" with giant sequoias become life altering events.

What evolutionary secrets allow sequoias to get so big? Why do frequent fires help them to survive? And what is "sequoia time?" The General Sherman tree and its mates have changed how we view the natural world and our place within it.

Guest
William C. Tweed
Author and Retired Chief Naturalist
Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, CA
King Sequoia
Challenge of the Big Trees: The History of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks (co-author with Lary M. Dilsaver)

Readers
Josh Abrams (Hale Tharp)
Ewen Eadie (John Muir)
Jeff Taliaferro (Capt. Charles Young)

Music
Justin Peters

Tree Visitor Interview
Tom Allen
Emmy Riley
Alex Allen

Organizations That Support Giant Sequoias
National Park Service, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks
Giant Sequoias Land Coalition
Sequoia Parks Conservancy
Save the Redwoods League
Ancient Forest Society
Tule River Tribe of California

Theme Music
"This Old Tree," Diccon Lee, http://deeleetree.com/

Artwork
Dahn Hiuni, https://www.dahnhiuni.com/home

Website
http://thisoldtree.show/
Transcripts available.

Follow on
Facebook or Instagram

This Old Tree podcast is a sponsored project of the New England Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture. To support This Old Tree and New England ISA, click here.

We want to hear about the favorite tree in your life! To submit a ~4 or 5 minute audio story for consideration for an upcoming episode of "Tree Story Shorts" on This Old Tree, record the story on your phone’s voice memo app and email to:
doug@thisoldtree.net

This episode was written in part at LitArts RI, a community organization and co-working space that supports Rhode Island's creators.
https://www.litartsri.org/

Some trees are old — and then there's S’Ozzastru. Nestled near the village of Luras on the island of Sardinia, this ancient olive tree has stood for nearly 4,000 years. Also known as "The Great Patriarch" or "The Patriarch of Nature," the bronze age tree is a living witness to the rise and fall of civilizations.

How has it endured for millennia? Who, across the centuries, has found shelter beneath its branches? And will the millennial olive trees of Sardinia continue to survive?

Join us as we travel to the heart of the Mediterranean in search of secrets to one of the world’s oldest living trees. 🌿

Guests
Anna Maria Corda
Tour Guide, Olivastri di Millenari di Luras
Luras, Sardinia, Italy

Marco Campus
Agronomist, AGRIS
Progetto Olivi Montiferru
Oristano, Sardinia

Fabio Piras
Agronomist, AGRIS
Progetto Olivi Montiferru
Oristano, Sardinia

Gianluigi Pili
Agronomist, AGRIS
Progetto Olivi Montiferru
Oristano, Sardinia

Emanuele Cauli
Agronomist, AGRIS
Progetto Olivi Montiferru
Oristano, Sardinia

Music
Launeddas - Luigi Lai
Cantu a tenore vocals - Su Dillu

Songs from "S'arreppicu," Luigi Lai
Ripsosa pippiu
Fiorassiu in la (danza)
Goccius a Santu Idiu
S'arrepicu

Reading
Elias Portolu by Grazia Deledda
Translated by Kevan Houser

Guest Reader
Manuela Buonanno

Other References
International Olive Council website
"Why the Mediterranean is a Climate Change Hotspot,"MIT News

Special thanks to
Ed Nardell
Cristiana and Valerio, B&B Archè

Theme Music
"This Old Tree," Diccon Lee, http://deeleetree.com/

Artwork
Dahn Hiuni, https://www.dahnhiuni.com/home

Website
http://thisoldtree.show/
Transcripts available.

Follow on
Facebook or Instagram

This Old Tree podcast is a sponsored project of the New England Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture. To support This Old Tree and New England ISA, click here.

We want to hear about the favorite tree in your life! To submit a ~4 or 5 minute audio story for consideration for an upcoming episode of "Tree Story Shorts" on This Old Tree, record the story on your phone’s voice memo app and email to:
doug@thisoldtree.net

This episode was written in part at LitArts RI, a community organization and co-working space that supports Rhode Island's creators.
https://www.litartsri.org/

Have you seen those breathtaking aerial photos of a solitary ginkgo tree in a courtyard, its leaves creating a perfect golden carpet of fallen leaves? This isn't just any tree—it's a 1,400-year-old living witness to history, standing tall within the walls of China's Gu Guanyin Buddhist Temple.

While its stunning autumn transformation goes viral online each year, the story behind this magnificent being remains largely unknown to Western audiences. Why was this particular tree planted at this particular temple? Could it really have been placed there by Emperor Taizong himself, one of China's most celebrated rulers? Why are ginkgo trees so special?

Join us as we unravel the mysteries of this famous ginkgo tree and explore its remarkable connection to the golden age of the Tang Dynasty.

Guests
Professor Ruihong Di
Northwest University
Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China

Peter Del Tredici
Urban Ecologist and Botanist
Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University
Boston, MA
https://www.peterdeltredici.com/
Wild Urban Plants of the Northeast: A Field Guide

Reader
Wiley Wang
Machine Intelligence Engineer
Palm Springs, CA
"Traditional Folk Tale of Gu Guanyin Temple" edited by Doug Still

Voiceover Reading for Ruihong Di
Martha Douglas-Osmundson
LinkedIn Profile

Music
"Farewell at the Yangguan Pass," traditional, Tang Dynasty
Xiao-zhong Wu soloist
People's Association Chinese Orchestra
1992 Yellow River

Other References
The Ruler's Guide: China's Greatest Emperor and His Timeless Secrets of Success, Chinghua Tang, Scribner, 2017.

Ginkgo: The Tree That Time Forgot, Peter Crane, Yale University Press, 2013.

Photo Credit
FlyOverChina, Xinhua News Agency

Theme Music
"This Old Tree," Diccon Lee, http://deeleetree.com/

Artwork
Dahn Hiuni, https://www.dahnhiuni.com/home

Website
http://thisoldtree.show/
Transcripts available.

Follow on
Facebook or Instagram

This Old Tree podcast is a sponsored project of the New England Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture. To support This Old Tree and New England ISA, click here.

We want to hear about the favorite tree in your life! To submit a ~4 or 5 minute audio story for consideration for an upcoming episode of "Tree Story Shorts" on This Old Tree, record the story on your phone’s voice memo app and email to:
doug@thisoldtree.net

This episode was written in part at LitArts RI, a community organization and co-working space that supports Rhode Island's creators.
https://www.litartsri.org/

Welcome to the fourth edition of "Tree Story Shorts" on This Old Tree, where guests get to tell their own tree stories! Salacious pepper trees, historic oaks, a tree named after a Marvel character, a beech tree's farewell at a college reunion, big tree hunters, an old growth tulip poplar in Queens, a neighborhood ash tree in Amsterdam, and the largest tree at Kew Gardens - this episode has it all. Listen to what people have to say about the trees that inspire them.

Guests
Stephanie Carrie
Screenwriter, Sketch Writer, Comedian
Los Angeles, CA
Trees of LA @treesofla (Instagram)
https://www.stephaniecarrie.me/

Denise Lewis
Masters Student, Urban Forestry
UMASS Amherst
Amherst, MA

Devi Lakhia
Student, The Learning Center
Goa, India

Fred Breglia
Executive Director, The Landis Arboretum
Ancient Forests and Champion Trees (Facebook)
Big Tree Hunters (Instagram)

Ellen Cliggott
Freelance Content Marketing Writer and Editor
LinkedIn Profile
Barnstable, MA

Magali Duzant
Artist and Writer
Website
A Tree Grows in Queens

Nadina Galle
Ecological Engineer, Technologist, Writer, Speaker
Website
The Nature of Our Cities
The Netherlands and Canada

Mark Johnston
Arborist, Urban Forester, Consultant, Professor, Author
Website
Planting Ideas in the Urban Forest: Autobiography of a Tree Expert
Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK

Theme Music
"This Old Tree," Diccon Lee, http://deeleetree.com/

Artwork
Dahn Hiuni, https://www.dahnhiuni.com/home

Website
http://thisoldtree.show/
Transcripts available.

Follow on
Facebook or Instagram

This Old Tree podcast is a sponsored project of the New England Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture. To support This Old Tree and New England ISA, click here.

We want to hear about the favorite tree in your life! To submit a ~4 or 5 minute audio story for consideration for an upcoming episode of "Tree Story Shorts" on This Old Tree, record the story on your phone’s voice memo app and email to:
doug@thisoldtree.net

This episode was written in part at LitArts RI, a community organization and co-working space that supports Rhode Island's creators.
https://www.litartsri.org/

Meet Kabirvad, a 500 yr-old, 4 acre banyan tree in the heart of Gujarat, India. The spectacular tree is a national treasure associated with Saint Kabir, a 15th century mystic poet known for his timeless poetry. He challenged institutions, religions and social convention. Who was he, and how is his legend tied to a banyan tree? Journey to India to learn about Kabirvad. In understanding the tree, you may find the essence of Kabir himself.

Guests
Prof. Srinivas Reddy
Guest Professor, Humanities
Indian Institute of Technology
Gandhinagar, India
Author, Illuminating Worlds: An Anthology of Classical Indian Literature
Sankalpana

Dr. Linda Hess
Professor Emerita, Stanford University
https://linda-hess.com/
Bodies of Song: Kabir Oral Traditions and Performative Worlds in North India

Ronak Kevadiya
Range Forest Officer
Forest and Environment Office, Govt. of Gujarat
Bharuch, India

Dr. Vikrant Jain
Professor, Earth Sciences
Indian Institute of Technology
Gandhinagar, India

Short Kabir Interviews
Abhia Lakhia
Jayraj Bhatt
Anuja Bhatt
Dr. Sudhanshu Sharma
Kabeer Jesusa

Kabir Poems Reader
Gairik Sachdeva
Cambridge, MA
Lineages of Innovations (Substack)

Kabir poems translated and provided by Linda Hess

Music
Raga Ahiri, performed by Srinivas Reddy (sitar), Rajiv Bhatt (tabla) and Sameer Sahasrabuddhe (tabla)

Other References
Burn Down Your House: Provocations from Kabir, Shabnam Virmani
Gods, Wasps and Stranglers: The Secret History and Redemptive Future of Fig Trees, Michael Shanahan

Additional thanks to
Dr. Paula Richman and Dr. Michael Fisher for sharing their knowledge and resources on India.

Lisa Rodriguez at Osco Pharmacy, for providing all of the vaccinations I needed for my trip!

Theme Music
"This Old Tree," Diccon Lee, http://deeleetree.com/

Artwork
Dahn Hiuni, https://www.dahnhiuni.com/home

Website
http://thisoldtree.show/
Transcripts available.

Follow on
Facebook or Instagram

This Old Tree podcast is a sponsored project of the New England Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture. To support This Old Tree and New England ISA, click here.

We want to hear about the favorite tree in your life! To submit a ~4 or 5 minute audio story for consideration for an upcoming episode of "Tree Story Shorts" on This Old Tree, record the story on your phone’s voice memo app and email to:
doug@thisoldtree.net

This episode was written in part at LitArts RI, a community organization and co-working space that supports Rhode Island's creators.
https://www.litartsri.org/

Did you know the British are mad about mulberries? A 415 yr-old black mulberry tree stands at Charlton House & Gardens, the oldest specimen in London and highly beloved. Its story involves King James I and a courtier named Sir Adam Newton, the tutor to the King's eldest son Henry. It also involves a government decree gone awry.

Guests
Peter Coles
Author, Mulberry
Morus Londinium

Dr. Stella Butler
Trustee, Royal Greenwich Heritage Trust
Chair, Charlton & Blackheath Amateur Horticultural Society

Jason Sylvan
Head Gardener, Charlton House & Gardens

Kathy Aitken
Volunteer, Charlton & Blackheath Amateur Horticultural Society

Music performed by the Renaissonics
"Coockow As I Me Walked," John Baldwin
"The Satyrs' Masque," Robert Johnson (from Oberon)
"Full Fathom Five," Robert Johnson
"Strike It Up Tabor," Thomas Weelkes

Theme Music
"This Old Tree," Diccon Lee, http://deeleetree.com/

Artwork
Dahn Hiuni, https://www.dahnhiuni.com/home

Website
http://thisoldtree.show/
Transcripts available.

Follow on
Facebook or Instagram

This Old Tree podcast is a sponsored project of the New England Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture. To support This Old Tree and New England ISA, click here.

We want to hear about the favorite tree in your life! To submit a ~4 or 5 minute audio story for consideration for an upcoming episode of "Tree Story Shorts" on This Old Tree, record the story on your phone’s voice memo app and email to:
doug@thisoldtree.net

This episode was written in part at LitArts RI, a community organization and co-working space that supports Rhode Island's creators.
https://www.litartsri.org/

John Bartram was a Quaker farmer near Philadelphia in the mid 18th century. So how did he become North America's first great botanist? And how did he and his son William find themselves in the wilds of southeastern Georgia, fighting off rain, hunger and mosquitos, in order to find the rare and beautiful Franklin Tree (Franklinia alatamaha)? Come hear the story about why this tree at Bartram's Garden symbolizes the spirit of science and discovery.

Guest
Tom Reber
Director of Landscape and Facilities
Bartram's Garden
Philadelphia, PA

Readers
Nigel Holmes
Mike Savard
Mike Sweney
Josh Abrams

Harpsichord Music performed by Miyuke Tsurutani
"The Saint Catherine," John Barrett
"Saraband," John Barrett
"Hornpipe," Henry Purcell
"Ground," John Blow

References
"The Life and Travels of John Bartram: From Lake Ontario to the River St. John," by Edmund Berkeley and Dorothy Smith Berkeley. University Press of Florida, 1982.

"The Correspondence of John Bartram, 1734 - 1777," edited by Edmund Berkeley and Dorothy Smith Berkeley. University Press of Florida, 1992.

"Franklinia alatamaha, A History of That 'Very Curious' Shrub," by Joel Fry. Bartram's Broadside, Winter 2000.

Theme Music
"This Old Tree," Diccon Lee, http://deeleetree.com/

Artwork
Dahn Hiuni, https://www.dahnhiuni.com/home

Website
http://thisoldtree.show/
Transcripts available.

Follow on
Facebook or Instagram

This Old Tree podcast is a sponsored project of the New England Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture. To support This Old Tree and New England ISA, click here.

We want to hear about the favorite tree in your life! To submit a ~4 or 5 minute audio story for consideration for an upcoming episode of "Tree Story Shorts" on This Old Tree, record the story on your phone’s voice memo app and email to:
doug@thisoldtree.net

This episode was written in part at LitArts RI, a community organization and co-working space that supports Rhode Island's creators.
https://www.litartsri.org/

Legend has it that Col. William H. Jackson of Athens, Georgia loved his old white oak tree very much. So much, that he created a deed for the tree and the land immediately surrounding it, giving ownership unto itself. Could it be possible? Who owns a tree?

The answers aren't always as simple as they may appear.

Guests
Mateo Fennell
Community Forestry Coordinator
Athens-Clarke County Unified Government
Athens, GA
https://www.accgov.com/274/Community-Forestry

James Komen
Consulting Arborist and Attorney
Los Angeles, CA
https://www.jameskomen.com/http://forestar.ca/
Pat McAlexander
Author, Retired Professor, and Neighbor of The Tree That Owns Itself
University of Georgia
Athens, GA

Music
"It's Fun Being a Cat," Ziv Grinberg

Theme Music
"This Old Tree," Diccon Lee, http://deeleetree.com/

Artwork
Dahn Hiuni, https://www.dahnhiuni.com/home

Website
http://thisoldtree.show/
Transcripts available.

Follow on
Facebook or Instagram

This Old Tree podcast is a sponsored project of the New England Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture. To support This Old Tree and New England ISA, click here.

We want to hear about the favorite tree in your life! To submit a ~4 or 5 minute audio story for consideration for an upcoming episode of "Tree Story Shorts" on This Old Tree, record the story on your phone’s voice memo app and email to:
doug@thisoldtree.net

This episode was written in part at LitArts RI, a community organization and co-working space that supports Rhode Island's creators.
https://www.litartsri.org/

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
Kristen Roberts
Owner
Truro Vineyards
Truro, MA

Ken MacPhee
Arborist Representative
Bartlett Tree Experts
Orleans, MAhttp://forestar.ca/
Janice Pelosi
Manager
Truro Historical Society
Truro, MA

Norman Pope
Volunteer
Truro Historical Society
Truro, MA

Peter Coles
Author of Mulberry
Morus londinium
London, UK

Consulting Editor
David Still II

Recorder Music
David Bor and Kimberly Wass
"The Wellerman"
"Sleep Soond I da Mornin'"
"Leave Her Johnny"

Other Music
The Hill Top Trio
"Spanish Ladies"

Theme Music
"This Old Tree," Diccon Lee, http://deeleetree.com/

Artwork
Dahn Hiuni, https://www.dahnhiuni.com/home

Website
http://thisoldtree.show/
Transcripts available.

Follow on
Facebook or Instagram

This Old Tree podcast is a sponsored project of the New England Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture. To support This Old Tree and New England ISA, click here.

We want to hear about the favorite tree in your life! To submit a ~4 or 5 minute audio story for consideration for an upcoming episode of "Tree Story Shorts" on This Old Tree, record the story on your phone’s voice memo app and email to:
doug@thisoldtree.net

This episode was written in part at LitArts RI, a community organization and co-working space that supports Rhode Island's creators.
https://www.litartsri.org/

Here's the third edition of "Tree Story Shorts" on This Old Tree, where guests get to 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 to what people have to say about the trees that inspire them.

Guests
Rob McBride
The Tree Hunter
Ellesmere, Shropshire, U.K.
Instagram

Georgia Barnhill
Amherst Historical Society
Amherst, MA

Joe Hansen
The Municipal Arborist Podcast
Instagram

Grayson Bo Guthrie
Baltimore Tree Keeper
Baltimore, MD
Instagram

Kamala Sankaram
Composer and Singer
https://www.kamalasankaram.com/

Lawarren Patterson
Retired Army Major General
San Antonio, TX
Bio

Olena Kozak
Ukrainian Ecological Club - Green Wave
Kyiv, Ukraine

Theme Music
"This Old Tree," Diccon Lee, http://deeleetree.com/

Artwork
Dahn Hiuni, https://www.dahnhiuni.com/home

Website
http://thisoldtree.show/
Transcripts available.

Follow on
Facebook or Instagram

This Old Tree podcast is a sponsored project of the New England Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture. To support This Old Tree and New England ISA, click here.

We want to hear about the favorite tree in your life! To submit a ~4 or 5 minute audio story for consideration for an upcoming episode of "Tree Story Shorts" on This Old Tree, record the story on your phone’s voice memo app and email to:
doug@thisoldtree.net

This episode was written in part at LitArts RI, a community organization and co-working space that supports Rhode Island's creators.
https://www.litartsri.org/

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
https://www.treeoftheyear.org/
Brussels, Belgium

Przemek Bartos
Ecologist and Blogger
Przyroda dla Sosnowca
The Oak Fabrykant - Video
Sosnowiec, Polandhttp://forestar.ca/
Jacek Boźek
Director, Klub Gaja
Ecological and Cultural Association
https://klubgaja.pl/
Wilkowice, Poland

Anna Wierzbicka
Director of Environmental Management Division
City of Łódź
Poland
Green Bond Framework

Maria Duszynska McCauley
Centerville, MA, USA

Consulting Editor
David Still II

Music
Frédéric Chopin - to be updated

Photo Credit
Jakub Kubka

Theme Music
"This Old Tree," Diccon Lee, http://deeleetree.com/

Artwork
Dahn Hiuni, https://www.dahnhiuni.com/home

Website
http://thisoldtree.show/
Transcripts available.

Follow on
Facebook or Instagram

This Old Tree podcast is a sponsored project of the New England Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture. To support This Old Tree and New England ISA, click here.

We want to hear about the favorite tree in your life! To submit a ~4 or 5 minute audio story for consideration for an upcoming episode of "Tree Story Shorts" on This Old Tree, record the story on your phone’s voice memo app and email to:
doug@thisoldtree.net

This episode was written in part at LitArts RI, a community organization and co-working space that supports Rhode Island's creators.
https://www.litartsri.org/

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
https://conquerthesoil.com/
Director of Horticulture, Oakland Cemetery
Atlanta, GA

Prof. Robert Watson
Assistant Professor of History
Hampton University
Hampton, VAhttp://forestar.ca/
Tim Nuckols
Owner, Nuckols Tree Care
Virginia Beach, VA

Consulting Editor
Josh Abrams

Music
"Steal Away" - Wallace Willis
Arranged by Roland Carter
Sung by the Winston-Salem State University Choir

Photo Credit
Hampton University

Theme Music
"This Old Tree," Diccon Lee, http://deeleetree.com/

Artwork
Dahn Hiuni, https://www.dahnhiuni.com/home

Website
http://thisoldtree.show/
Transcripts available.

Follow on
Facebook or Instagram

This Old Tree podcast is a sponsored project of the New England Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture. To support This Old Tree and New England ISA, click here.

We want to hear about the favorite tree in your life! To submit a ~4 or 5 minute audio story for consideration for an upcoming episode of "Tree Story Shorts" on This Old Tree, record the story on your phone’s voice memo app and email to:
doug@thisoldtree.net

This episode was written in part at LitArts RI, a community organization and co-working space that supports Rhode Island's creators.
https://www.litartsri.org/

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 Galway, Irelandhttp://forestar.ca/
Dr. James Pethica
Senior Lecturer in English and Theatre, Williams College
Williamstown, MA, USA

Dr. Anna Pilz
Independent Researcher
Academic Developer & Trainer, University of Edinburgh
Edinburgh, Scotland

Consulting Editor
David Still, II

Music
"Cailleach An Airgid" - traditional
Arranged by Katharina Baker
Performed by Sonic Strings from Coole Music & Artsin Gort, County Galway
Soloist - Lilian Owens
See Sonic Strings performing the piece on Inis Mór on YouTube here

Theme Music
"This Old Tree," Diccon Lee, http://deeleetree.com/

Artwork
Dahn Hiuni, https://www.dahnhiuni.com/home

Website
http://thisoldtree.show/
Transcripts available.

Follow on
Facebook or Instagram

This Old Tree podcast is a sponsored project of the New England Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture. To support This Old Tree and New England ISA, click here.

We want to hear about the favorite tree in your life! To submit a ~4 or 5 minute audio story for consideration for an upcoming episode of "Tree Story Shorts" on This Old Tree, record the story on your phone’s voice memo app and email to:
doug@thisoldtree.net

This episode was written in part at LitArts RI, a community organization and co-working space that supports Rhode Island's creators.
https://www.litartsri.org/

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
(Lyrics from Trees by Joyce Kilmer)
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 Records, Firecat Music Ld.

Boys in the Trees, Carly Simon
Boys in the Trees, 1978
Elektra Records; C'est Music; Universal Music Corp.

Mango Tree (Feat. Sara Bareilles), Zac Brown Band
Jekyll + Hyde, 2015
Writers: Zac Brown, Anna Elizabeth Harwood, and Niko Moon
Big Machine Records; Republic; Bettimusic

It’s the Roots, Dee Lee

This Old Tree, Dee Lee
http://deeleetree.com

Consulting Editor
David Still II

Theme Music
"This Old Tree," Diccon Lee, http://deeleetree.com/

Artwork
Dahn Hiuni, https://www.dahnhiuni.com/home

Website
http://thisoldtree.show/
Transcripts available.

Follow on
Facebook or Instagram

This Old Tree podcast is a sponsored project of the New England Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture. To support This Old Tree and New England ISA, click here.

We want to hear about the favorite tree in your life! To submit a ~4 or 5 minute audio story for consideration for an upcoming episode of "Tree Story Shorts" on This Old Tree, record the story on your phone’s voice memo app and email to:
doug@thisoldtree.net

This episode was written in part at LitArts RI, a community organization and co-working space that supports Rhode Island's creators.
https://www.litartsri.org/