On Saturday 26th April I gave an illustrated talk at Newcastle’s City Library as part of Earth Day events. The talk was entitled Trees of Life in the Wood Age, and combined themes from several of my tree and wood-related books. I began by exploring the role of trees and woods in the development of human technology and culture across half a million years, from digging sticks and spears to the almost universal roundhouse, constructed from materials gathered sustainably from managed woodlands.
From the simplest tools and devices – wedges, levers, the windlass, cordage and so on – to the technical and cultural sophistications of the watermill and the violin; from medicines to fruit and fuel; to the depiction of trees in art, human societies knew the value of trees in their lives and landscape right up until the end of what I can the Wood Age, marked by the building of the Ironbridge, in Coalbrookdale, in 1779. There is, perhaps, another Wood Age around the corner, as we rediscover woods as a social resource, an antidote to climate change and as a sustainable, adaptable material in construction.
I finished the talk by advertising what we do at Woods for the Trees, and afterwards I took some really good questions from a very engaged audience. One or two of the people there have asked to partner us in some of our North-East regional work; and I sold 5 of our fabulous gift cards to raise money for our Nuts for the Trees campaign – so it was a successful outing all round.
Good Worķ, Max. Keep it up!
The Woodland Trust is a strong voice, too, for all that you advocate.
Are you offering tours around your woods this summer or organising any workshops, work for Volunteers etc?