Treekeepers

October 1, 2024
Oakes, a forest ecologist, investigates tree planting as a popular solution to climate change, and the numerous international efforts to replace and renovate forests. Thoroughly reported, Treekeepers chronicles the author's extensive travels to conduct 150 interviews with key stakeholders including policymakers, scientists, committed individuals, and corporate leaders. With an optimistic yet urgent tone, Oakes addresses the complex challenges encountered when protecting forests and planting more trees. For example, while the preference is to reforest with indigenous trees, trees migrate over time, adjusting their range as they adapt to better reflect their local environments. The feasibility of restoring forests to previous states is declining worldwide. Also included is a fascinating deep dive into the history of carbon credits and how they operate internationally to finance restoration and reduce forest degradation. A skillful combination of personal storytelling and scientific research, accompanied by the voices and stories of those helping to reverse deforestation and sustain forests into the future, this thoughtful text conveys the potential, and limits, of tree planting to sequester carbon in the environment.

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November 1, 2024
The potentials and challenges of forest conservation as a climate change solution. Oakes, a conservationist-scientist and the author ofIn Search of the Canary Tree (2018), embarks on a global journey exploring forest restoration and conservation efforts to combat climate change. From the jungles of Costa Rica to the Scottish Highlands and from tropical landscapes to urban settings, Oakes investigates diverse environments, interviewing hundreds of experts and delving into both environmental concerns and socioeconomic inequalities. Oakes writes, "I wanted to investigate how our forests are changing. I wanted to explore the big and bold ideas for increasing forest cover and offer a window into the lives of the people who are now shaping the future of forests in [an] effort to help rescue our own....To what extent can forests really save us? And how?" Throughout her exploration, Oakes balances the promise of forests as nature's carbon-absorbing powerhouses against the risks of overreliance on this single solution. Framed as part memoir, Oakes positions herself as both an ecologist-conservationist and a concerned mother. However, her scrupulous research presentation frequently overshadows her storytelling, occasionally compromising the narrative flow. Although Oakes' writing lacks the captivating style of seasoned environmental journalists like Elizabeth Kolbert or Bill McKibben, her work provides a comprehensive study of this crucial topic. She presents both the rewards and the challenges of maintaining healthy forests as a climate change solution, contributing significantly to the ongoing dialogue on environmental conservation and climate action. Despite its occasional density, Oakes offers an earnest and in-depth exploration of innovative strategies to increase forest cover and the potential impact on our changing climate. It serves as an important resource for those seeking to understand the complexities of forest conservation in the face of global environmental challenges. A meticulous if sometimes overwhelming examination of forests' role in combating climate change.

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November 1, 2024

Conservation scientist Oakes (author of the multi-best-booked In Search of the Canary Tree) considers climate change and forests. Wondering about the impacts of tree-planting efforts, Oakes travels the world to meet with scientists, innovators, and locals to better understand the role of forests in the fight against a warming world. Prepub Alert.

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September 2, 2024
In this sturdy report, conservation scientist Oakes (In Search of the Canary Tree) studies how ecologists use trees to fight climate change. She weaves science on the benefits of tree-lined city streets (neighborhoods with more tree coverage use less air conditioning and enjoy higher air quality) into her account of attending a Seattle urban forestry conference, and she discusses how Canada’s Ministry of Forests is helping trees “migrate” by planting seedlings north of their traditional ranges in the anticipation that their new environs will warm enough in the coming decades to resemble the trees’ historical habitats. Reforestation efforts must focus on restoring indigenous species, Oakes contends, lamenting how well-meaning initiatives that planted non-native trees gave rise to forests with less biodiversity. Oakes also warns that planting trees can’t offset current levels of carbon emissions and suggests that while forests may help contain carbon that’s already been released, reductions in fossil fuel use are still necessary to stem climate change. The author blends first-person reporting and ecology to winning effect, and her recognition that “planting trees isn’t a silver bullet” puts the strategy in perspective. Readers will come away with a comprehensive understanding of what trees can and can’t do for the environment. Photos. Agent: Jessica Papin, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret.