logo
episode-header-image
Apr 2023
41m 44s

Ancient trees

Bbc Radio 4
About this episode
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 significance of leaving ancient forests untouched, and is scathing about the fai ... Show More
Up next
Jun 23
Sanctuary, refuge and exile
Sanctuary is an ancient idea of a place of refuge or freedom from harm. It has deep roots in the history, literature and myths of many cultures. Marina Warner’s new book Sanctuary explores travelling tales and concepts of hospitality and home - suggesting that myths, stories and ... Show More
41m 57s
Jun 16
The Idea of Genius
We think we know what a genius is: a tortured poet; rebellious scientist; monstrous artist; or a tech disruptor. You can tell what a society values by who it labels as a genius says Helen Lewis in her new book, The Genius Myth: The Dangerous Allure of Rebels, Monsters and Rule-Br ... Show More
41m 35s
Jun 9
Hidden spaces and dangerous places
There is a parallel world which operates under different rules and benefits those with money and power. That’s the argument made by the journalist Atossa Araxia Abrahamian in her new book The Hidden Globe: How Wealth Hacks the world. She traces the rise of a freeports, charter ci ... Show More
41m 43s
Recommended Episodes
Nov 2021
Seeing the Wood for the Trees
There have been big promises about tree-planting numbers over the last few years - but is there much point in planting more trees, if we're not looking after the ones we've already got? The Woodland Trust estimates that only 7% of the UK's native woodlands are in good ecological ... Show More
27m 39s
Aug 2023
Destiny: JD Walker: Under the Sacred Canopy of Trees
Tap into the Magick of Sacred Trees Around the World From the Norse Yggdrasil and the Christian Tree of Knowledge to the Buddhist bodhi tree and the Jewish Sephiroth, mystical trees have become intertwined with our history and spirituality. This book invites you to not only explo ... Show More
1h 27m
Oct 2021
The Ghaf Tree
What’s a forest of ghaf trees called?Are ghaf leaves and pods edible?What do ghaf trees have to do with tree huggers?What might you find if you dig around ghaf trees?This episode is dedicated to the ghaf tree, the national tree of the UAE and a symbol of tolerance. This amazingly ... Show More
20m 50s
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
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
Mar 2022
A Human History of Forests and Woodlands in Ireland
Its National Tree Week! In this special episode brought to you by Wolfgang Reforest, I investigate the history of Ireland's woodlands and forests. The show begins by looking what an actual native Irish woodland because woodlands and forests looked very different in the past. Then ... Show More
34m 3s
Jul 2021
Women planting trees
Two women restoring forest in Brazil and Nepal tell Kim Chakanetsa about working with local communities to plant thousands of trees and restore the natural environment. Francy Forero Sánchez is a Colombian primate researcher who volunteers with the environmental organisation Copa ... Show More
27m 14s
May 2022
Death in the rainforest
Tree mortality in tropical moist forests in Australia has been increasing since the mid 1980s. The death rate of trees appears to have doubled over that time period. According to an international team of researchers, the primary cause is drier air in these forests, the consequenc ... Show More
58m 42s
Listen to millions of songs and podcasts on Anghami