In Search of the Old Ones

Book excerpt: An extraordinary journey to visit the oldest trees in the United States that beautifully reveals the connection between humans and natural history— a perfect read for nature lovers and fans of The Hidden Life of Trees. Follow award-winning author Anthony D. Fredericks's adventures across the United States to uncover the remarkable secrets and lives of ancient trees. He introduces some of the oldest trees in the country using up-to-date research, interviews with scientists, captivating storytelling, and a contagious wonder for the natural world. Fredericks's visits to the trees turn readers into fellow travelers. Through firsthand accounts and scientific detail, these enduring trees come to life off the page. Each chapter begins with a time-travel story that immerses readers in Earth's past, as early as ~58,000 BCE, for a sweeping view of what was happening during human history when the ancient tree took root. It then zooms into present-day to investigate the tree in all its mature glory and the changed world around it. Some of the featured trees include: A 13,000-year-old Palmer's oak in California that survives by cloning itself The 1,200-year-old Seven Sisters Oak in Louisiana that has survived in the path of at least ten major hurricanes 2,000-year-old redwoods (the tallest trees in the world) on the California coast The 2,628 year old bald cypress in the Black River of North Carolina Marvelously detailed and deeply passionate, In Search of the Old Ones will transform your perspective of the trees and forests around you.