This gorgeously packaged little book celebrates trees and their life-affirming presence in our lives. The earth's longest living organisms, trees exemplify nature's great strength as well as its majestic beauty. Serving as virtual lungs for our planet, trees provide us with food, medicine, and our most versatile building material. To plant a tree is to plant hope, and as an act of commemoration, it literally gives life to that remembered. While it is in-deed a practical book that explains exactly how to plant and care for a tree, How to Plant a Tree is so much more. Drawing on the ancient rituals and folklore that surround particular trees, the author explores their symbolism and traditional uses, and offers suggestions for various commemorative tree-planting acts, such as: A marriage ceremony A new baby ceremony A new home ceremony A memorial for a loved one With lovely original black-and-white illustrations throughout, How to Plant a Tree encompasses a wealth of both useful and inspiring information, including fascinating miscellany on some of our most beloved tree species like the willow, the oak, and the plum; how to calculate a tree's age; and how you can use trees to fight climate change. How to Plant a Tree will inspire readers to view trees as living structures of hope that will be treasured for generations to come.

Author Biography

Daniel Butler is a 42 year-old novelist and freelance journalist, specialising in rural and environmental issues. His books include The Red Tail: Sharing the Seasons with a Hawk (Jonathan Cape, 1994) and Urban Dreams, Rural Realities (Simon & Schuster, 1998). He is currently working on a book charting the history of man's changing attitudes to the environment and contemplating his first novel. His main income, however, comes from articles for titles such as The Telegraph, The Express and Country Living, supplemented by book reviews for The Guardian. As well as frequent interviews on rural issues for radio and television, he is a regular lecturer and interviewer at the Hay Festival. He has taught literary skills to both undergraduates and at adult evening classes and currently provides writing seminars for the Tourism Training Forum for Wales. Daniel lives on a 13-acre smallholding in Mid-Wales where he cultivates weeds and despises sheep when not indulging his passions for falconry and wild mushrooms. He has two children, four hawks, two dogs and a ferret.