Edinburgh photographer Anna Deacon and author Vicky Allan’s latest book examines our relationship with trees.
For the Love of Trees is the story of why trees are important both to us as individuals and to the future of the planet and is told through the voices of tree lovers.
Well known contributors include Chris Packham, Kirsty Wark, Judi Dench, Professor Alice Roberts, Cameron McNeish, Miranda Hart, Sir Geoffrey Palmer, Isabella Tree and Alastair Campbell.
Publisher Black & White say it’s not just a book about trees but about our relationships with them – and the people who love them, work with them, and connect with them. Written during the coronavirus lockdown, this book also reflects the connection with nature that was nurtured during this difficult time.
Publicist Laura O’Donnell, said: “At a time when humanity’s relationship with nature is under serious examination and renewed reflection and when the worldwide carbon footprint spirals dangerously upward, trees are an increasingly important and essential part of our survival on planet Earth.”
Vicky and Anna first met and developed a friendship through wild swimming which led to their first collaboration Taking The Plunge. Not only do they both share the love of a cold water dip, but they also like to make dens, climb trees and chill in the woods.
Self-confessed tree hugger, David Knott, Curator of the Living Collection at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, features in the book.
He said: “I’ve been trying to hug a tree a day for 350 days to raise funds to save the Sequoiadendron Avenue at Benmore Botanic Garden. “A couple of staff in the garden said, ‘Well, why don’t you hug a tree for publicity?’. It was partly tongue in cheek, and I thought well why not? Hug a tree a day. There are 3,500 trees in the Botanics in Edinburgh and there’s a story behind every one of them.
“Every tree that we’ve got is different. Some of them are wild collections, some of them are historic trees, some of them are important cultivars. Every tree has a story. One of my favourite hugs has been one I did with a pterocarya, a hybrid wingnut, that has a face like an Ent – and I don’t know who has the ugliest face, me or the tree.”
Stephen Rafferty is a former crime correspondent at The Scotsman and was a staff reporter for the Daily Record and Edinburgh Evening News. He has freelanced for many of the Scottish and UK national newspaper titles. Got a story? Get in touch - stephen@theedinburghreporter.co.uk
