Episodes

  • Tree Story Shorts IV
    Feb 24 2025

    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
    Diccon Lee, www.deeleetree.com

    Artwork
    Dahn Hiuni, www.dahnhiuni.com/home

    Website
    thisoldtree.show
    Transcripts available.

    Follow on
    Facebook or Instagram

    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.
    litartsri.org

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    46 mins
  • India's Kabirvad Banyan Tree
    Feb 5 2025

    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
    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

    Theme Music
    Diccon Lee, www.deeleetree.com

    Artwork
    Dahn Hiuni, www.dahnhiuni.com/home

    Website
    thisoldtree.show
    Transcripts available.

    Follow on
    Facebook or Instagram

    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.
    litartsri.org

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    1 hr and 20 mins
  • London's Charlton House Mulberry
    Nov 18 2024

    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
    Diccon Lee, www.deeleetree.com

    Artwork
    Dahn Hiuni, www.dahnhiuni.com/home

    Website
    thisoldtree.show
    Transcripts available.

    Follow on
    Facebook or Instagram

    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.
    litartsri.org

    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 1 min
  • Saving Seeds: Bartram's Franklin Tree
    Oct 7 2024

    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
    Diccon Lee, www.deeleetree.com

    Artwork
    Dahn Hiuni, www.dahnhiuni.com/home

    Website
    thisoldtree.show
    Transcripts available.

    Follow on
    Facebook or Instagram

    We want to hear about the favorite tree in your life! To submit a ~3 or 4 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.
    litartsri.org

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    1 hr and 3 mins
  • The Tree That Owns Itself
    Apr 28 2024

    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/

    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
    Diccon Lee, www.deeleetree.com

    Artwork
    Dahn Hiuni, www.dahnhiuni.com/home

    Website
    thisoldtree.show
    Transcripts available.

    Follow on
    Facebook or Instagram

    We want to hear about the favorite tree in your life! To submit a ~3 or 4 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.
    litartsri.org

    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 2 mins
  • The Mariner and the Mulberry
    Feb 28 2024

    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, MA

    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
    Diccon Lee, www.deeleetree.com

    Artwork
    Dahn Hiuni, www.dahnhiuni.com/home

    Website
    thisoldtree.show
    Transcripts available.

    Follow on
    Facebook or Instagram

    We want to hear about the favorite tree in your life! To submit a ~3 or 4 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.
    litartsri.org

    Show More Show Less
    56 mins
  • Tree Story Shorts III
    Jan 8 2024

    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
    KamalaSankaram.com

    Lawarren Patterson
    Retired Army Major General
    San Antonio, TX
    Bio

    Olena Kozak
    Ukrainian Ecological Club - Green Wave
    Kyiv, Ukraine

    Theme Music
    Diccon Lee, www.deeleetree.com

    Artwork
    Dahn Hiuni, www.dahnhiuni.com/home

    Website
    thisoldtree.show
    Transcripts available.

    Follow on
    Facebook or Instagram

    We want to hear about the favorite tree in your life! To submit a ~3 or 4 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.
    litartsri.org

    Show More Show Less
    36 mins
  • Europe's 2023 Tree of the Year: The Fabrykant Oak
    Dec 13 2023

    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
    treeoftheyear.org
    Brussels, Belgium

    Przemek Bartos
    Ecologist and Blogger
    Przyroda dla Sosnowca
    The Oak Fabrykant - Video
    Sosnowiec, Poland

    Jacek Boźek
    Director, Klub Gaja
    Ecological and Cultural Association
    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
    Diccon Lee, www.deeleetree.com

    Artwork
    Dahn Hiuni, www.dahnhiuni.com/home

    Website
    thisoldtree.show
    Transcripts available.

    Follow on
    Facebook or Instagram

    We want to hear about the favorite tree in your life! To submit a ~3 or 4 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.
    litartsri.org

    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 2 mins