Authors: David Suzuki and Wayne Grady
Drawings by Robert Bateman
Publisher: Greystone Books, 2004
ISBN 1-55365-016-6

The following review was contributed by: Dan Goldman

It seems fitting that on the same day I received an e-mail regarding
Kimberly-Clark's indiscriminate use of old growth forests to produce Kleenex
tissues I finished reading "Tree: A Life Story," a new book by acclaimed
geneticist and environmentalist Dr. David Suzuki, and nature writer Wayne
Grady. The book focuses on the life of a Douglas-fir, to illustrate plant
evolution, biology, and the interdependence of organisms. Throughout the
chronological account of the tree's life, the authors interweave short
biographies of noted botanists and their historical roles in helping us to
further understand and appreciate life and death in the forest. The book is
also interspersed with drawings by well-known nature artist, Robert Bateman.

The authors allude to the story of Genesis to depict the first days of life:
"In the beginning," early forms of bacteria, and algae gradually made their
move from the ocean to land's rocky surface. These life forms evolved into
mosses and then into plants such as ferns. Competition for sunlight caused
these ferns to thicken their stems and grow taller; these plants evolved
into trees.

Our main character is born around 1400, into favorable conditions created by
a recent all-consuming fire. Through the tree's 500 year lifespan, we gain
further insight into scientific concepts presented in earlier chapters. We
learn that various fungi, which grow on the tree's roots, are capable of
extracting a thousand times more water from the soil than the root itself.
The fungi supply the tree with nutrients and water and, in turn, receive
sugars produced through photosynthesis (the process whereby light energy is
used to transform carbon into nutrients) in the tree's canopy. This is just
one example of many where the interdependence of organisms is illustrated.

The authors expand on the theory that a tree is forever "part dying and part
being born," which was originally stated by Theophrastus, otherwise known as
the "father of botany." A student of Plato and Aristotle's, and one of the
first field scientists to present extensive data on plants, Theophrastuses
theory is illustrated in the following ways: our tree's core is made of dead
wood; over the years, new layers of wood will grow around the "heartwood"
core. When our Douglas-fir finally dies, it stands as a "snag" for about 60
years and becomes home for a range of species, such as flying squirrels and
spotted owls. In the end, when the trunk falls to the forest floor, it
serves as a nursery for seedlings; even in death, it possesses
life-sustaining qualities.

A true testament to the book's overall success is that the lyrical way in
which the science was conveyed whetted my appetite to revisit "Tree," in
order to fully absorb all of its vital information. At times, however, the
abundance of technical terms slowed my reading pace considerably. A short
glossary would help the scientifically unfamiliar reader to carry concepts
and terms from chapter to chapter.

It's no accident that the authors chose a Douglas-fir -the most important
old growth species in the forest industry today- as their main character.
Though several lines protesting the industry's indiscriminate harvesting of
these trees are present, they are never preachy. The book relies, instead,
on supported evidence of how life depends on life, and that blind
destruction of such forests will eventually lead to our own demise. On a
personal note, I'm grateful to the authors for providing me with the
scientific knowledge and the emotional charge needed to write my letter to
the Kimberly Clark Corporation.