This Old Tree

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 him...

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 Bu...

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 ...

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 Go...

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
Tr...

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.

Guest...

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...

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...

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.

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...

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 ...

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, an...

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 Lari...

The stately "Imperial Pine" is the only bonsai ever to leave the Japanese Emperor's collection, and it resides at the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum at the U.S. National Arboretum in Washington, DC.  Listen to the behind-the-scenes story about how it got there during a key moment in diplomatic history between Japan and the United States.

Guests
Kathleen Emerson-Dell
Curator of Exhibitions
N...

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 Hende...

This is the second edition of Tree Story Shorts on This Old Tree, where listeners get to contribute and tell their own tree stories! From New York to California to China and Nepal, listen to what people have to say about the trees that inspire them.

Guests
Gil Reavill
Author, screenwriter, journalist
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gil_Reavill

James Voorhies
Retired grounds manager and entomologist
Paul...

Sherwood Forest in the County of Nottinghamshire lays claim to a world famous tree, The Major Oak. It may well have harbored Robin Hood and his merry men, or perhaps people like them. Admirers from all over the world visit the beloved English oak, drawn by the legend.  

Two guests from the Sherwood Forest National Nature Reserve help describe why the tree is so special. One is Paul Cook, the Warden tasked with maintaining the woodla...

There's a huge, spreading, 350 yr old plus white oak in McMinnville, Tennessee with a legend. It was known to the early pioneers, and it's now a state landmark tree. Listen to its story told by Warren County Historian Jimmy Haley, and former state urban forester Tom Simpson. Come along and discover the Birthing Tree through the eyes of a real pioneer family.

Guests
Jimmy Haley
Historian
Warren County,...

Gilgamesh, the Sumerian king of Uruk, threatens to cut down the sacred Cedar Forest and claim its wood for his people. First, he must kill the terrifying guardian of the forest, Humbaba. Can he do it? What will the gods think, and what will it mean for humanity? The story's message is central to John Perlin's republished book, A Forest Journey: The Role of Trees in the Fate of Civilization. Forests, and the wood they prov...