The Mythical Mahogany that Helped Build the American Empire
How “Philippine mahogany” became America’s tropical timber of choice, thanks to a rebrand from a colonial logging company that drove deforestation.
Tonka Bean: The Tale of a Contested Commodity
The rise and fall of the sweet-smelling seeds of Dipteryx odorata stands in stark contrast to the tree’s lasting presence in global markets.
What the Trees Are Telling Us
Markers of both environmental change and periods of stability, trees have a lot to tell us about nature—but also about humanity.
An Untimely Death at Sycamore Gap
The outcry over the violent felling of a beloved tree in 2023 affirms the power trees hold in our cultural memory.
Dates: Civilization’s Sweetest Indulgence
Offshoots from the “Tree of Life” traveled from Mesopotamia to the Levant to the United States, beguiling everyone with their toothsome confections.
He Spoke for the Trees (and Also the Soil)
A champion of agroforestry, J. Russell Smith argued for the restoration of forests as key to sustainable agriculture in his seminal work Tree Crops.
Trees With a Secret Message
The culturally modified trees of the Pacific Northwest and Alaska bring essential stories of the past into the present.
Where Are the Trees?
Why some neighborhoods get all the shade, and how can we make sure that changes.
Tree of Peace, Spark of War
The white pines of New England may have done more than any leaf of tea to kick off the American Revolution.
Building Community and Urban Tree Canopy
Long before the COVID-19 pandemic, Black communities and other reformers in New York City recognized the ameliorative social effects of greening urban spaces.