Nov 2023

Sabkhas: The UAE’s Carbon Sinks

Our latest episode looks at sabkhas – seemingly uninhabitable salt flats that might help us fight climate change. These salty ecosystems can sequester four times more carbon (per square meter) than rainforests can. This episode is really timely given that the UAE is gearing up to ... Show More

21m 53s

Jan 2022

Keeping Cool in Old Dubai

Summer in Dubai is intense with relentless humidity and temperatures soaring close to 50°C (122°F). How did people stay cool before air conditioning? We had heard about barjeels – traditional wind towers – but we didn’t quite know how they worked, or if they were still used today ... Show More

23m 54s

Aug 2021

Diving for Pearls

For hundreds, maybe thousands of years, pearls and the sea were a very big part of people’s lives in the Gulf region. The pearl shaped the economy and the identity of the people. Language, songs, clothing and travel were all part of the culture of diving for pearls. Some people g ... Show More

23m 31s

Apr 2023

Ancient trees

Trees have the remarkable ability to pass knowledge down to succeeding generations and to survive the ravages of climate change, if only we’d let them alone, according to the German forester Peter Wohlleben. In The Power of Trees (translated by Jane Billinghurst) he explains the ... Show More

41m 44s

Apr 2020

Find your Forest

We pretend to whistle with an acorn cap today, bring our hands near our mouth. Feel free to skip this one and/or make sure everyone has washed their hands right before listening. Did you know that trees talk to each other? They do! Mother trees can send food to their saplings. Tr ... Show More

18m 6s

Jun 2023

How to Read a Tree

When you’re walking in the woods, you’re often surrounded by trees. But you probably don’t notice them much, and when you do spot some irregularity, like a strange bulge in the trunk of a tree, you likely don’t have any idea how it got there. But my guest says that these trees yo ... Show More

40m 24s

Apr 2019

T4: Why do trees live so long?

A talk to go with Episode 4, when Pan sees her first ever tree. Forest canopy cameraman and expert tree-climber James Aldred explains how trees can stay alive for centuries. Produced by Eliza Lomas and Becky Ripley. Don’t forget to take part in our Forest 404 Experiment to see ho ... Show More

6m 3s

Oct 2023

Fallen Trees & Firewood

Our story tonight is called Fallen Trees and Firewood, and it’s a story about a day spent in a meadow beside a cabin in the woods. It’s also about a task made easier by a neighbor, dogs running together through dry leaves, the glory of the mountains and the generosity of trees. W ... Show More

32m 54s

Dec 2020

Answering Your Tree-Mail (and Nuclear) Questions

We love listener mail! You've sent us some amazing notes. Some made us laugh, some made us cry, and some made us say—hey, that’s a great question! We should answer it. So that’s what we did. This week, we dig into some of your questions about trees. What’s up with that tree-plant ... Show More

58m 11s

Apr 2024

Family of Trees! (Earth Week remix)

Happy Earth Week! What has 3 trillion trees and one kid named after a birch tree? Andrew & Polly's family tree has (at least!) 3 tree experts who give us just the tiniest glimpse into the wonder of all things arboreal. Thanks to Bay Area-based Plant Stars and Oakland Aesthetics f ... Show More

9m 44s

May 2023

Germany’s forests under threat

Drought and hotter summers are killing Germany’s spruce forests. They’re a staple of the timber industry but are proving unable to cope with the consequences of climate change. Four out of five of Germany’s trees show signs of sickness, according to the latest survey of the healt ... Show More

28m 22s

The Ghaf Tree