14 episodes
This Old Tree Doug Still
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- Science
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4.8 • 30 Ratings
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Old trees are awe inspiring links to the past that fire our historical imagination. Ever wonder what their stories are? Seasoned arborist and amateur historian Doug Still interviews local experts, historians, and regular folks to celebrate the myths and uncover the real tales. If you're a tree lover, join in to look "beyond the plaque" at heritage trees and the human stories behind them. Biweekly.
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Ep 13 - Tree Story Shorts II
This is the second edition of Tree Story Shorts on This Old Tree, where listeners get to contribute and tell their own tree stories! From New York to California to China and Nepal, listen to what people have to say about the trees that inspire them.
Guests
Gil Reavill
Author, screenwriter, journalist
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gil_Reavill
James Voorhies
Retired grounds manager and entomologist
Paul Smith College '72
Georgia Silvera Seamans
Founder, Local Nature Lab
Host, Your Bird Story podcast
Chi Ngai Chan
Staff Scientist, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School
linkedin.com/in/chingaichan/
Fran Hutton Lee
Retired GIS specialist and cartographer
linkedin.com/in/fran-v-hutton-lee-4184a125/
Brandon Namm
Tree Inspector, City of Portland, OR
Principal Consultant, Laurelin Tree Consulting
laurelinconsulting.com
Eva Monheim
Speaker, consultant, garden coach, designer, writer, photographer
Co-host of The Plant a Trillion Trees Podcast
evamonheim.com
Leena Chapagain
Botanist and gardener
Dumbarton Oaks
Steven Koehn
Director of Cooperative Forestry
U.S. Forest Service, Dept. of Agriculture
www.fs.usda.gov/about-agency/state-private-forestry/coop-forestry
Music
Diccon Lee, www.deeleetree.com
Artwork
Dahn Hiuni, www.dahnhiuni.com/home
Website
thisoldtree.show
Follow on
Facebook or Instagram
We want to hear about the favorite tree in your life! To submit a 1-3 minute audio story for consideration for the "Tree Story Short” segment on This Old Tree, record the story on your phone’s voice memo app and email to:
doug@thisoldtree.net
This episode was written in part at the What Cheer Writers Club, Providence, RI
https://whatcheerclub.spaces.nexudus.com/about -
Ep 12 - The Major Oak of Sherwood Forest
Sherwood Forest in the County of Nottinghamshire lays claim to a world famous tree, The Major Oak. It may well have harbored Robin Hood and his merry men, or perhaps people like them. Admirers from all over the world visit the beloved English oak, drawn by the legend.
Two guests from the Sherwood Forest National Nature Reserve help describe why the tree is so special. One is Paul Cook, the Warden tasked with maintaining the woodland and the landscape. The other is the Sheriff of Nottingham, or, that is, Richard Townsley, a tour guide and local authority on Robin Hood. There’s an aura around this tree thanks to the legend, but the allure and lasting popularity of England's arboreal icon has become about so much more.
Guests
Paul Cook
Warden
Sherwood Forest National Nature Reserve, RSPB
Richard Townsley
Tour Guide - Sheriff of Nottingham
Sherwood Forest National Nature Reserve, RSPB
Consulting Editor
David Still, II
Reader
Nigel Holmes
nigelholmes.com
(excerpts from The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood by Howard Pyle, edited by Jonathan Kelley, The Townsend Press, Inc.)
Recorder Musicians
David Bor
Kim Wass
Recorder Music
"Light of love," Anonymous
"When that I was and a little tiny boy," anonymous Shakespearean stage tune
"When lo, by break of morning," Thomas Morley, 1595
"It was a lover and his lass," Thomas Morley, 1600
"Tres douce dame que j’aour," Guillaume de Machaut, 14th c.
"We Be Soldiers Three," Thomas Ravenscroft, 1609
Special thanks to:
Rob James, Sherwood Forest
Photo credit
Sherwood Forest National Nature Reserve, RSPB
Music
Diccon Lee, www.deeleetree.com
Artwork
Dahn Hiuni, www.dahnhiuni.com/home
Website
thisoldtree.show
Follow on
Facebook or Instagram
We want to hear about the favorite tree in your life! To submit a 1-3 minute audio story for consideration for the "Tree Story Short” segment on This Old Tree, record the story on your phone’s voice memo app and email to:
doug@thisoldtree.net
This episode was written in part at the What Cheer Writers Club, Providence, RI
https://whatcheerclub.spaces.nexudus.com/about -
Ep 11 - The Birthing Tree
There's a huge, spreading, 350 yr old plus white oak in McMinnville, Tennessee with a legend. It was known to the early pioneers, and it's now a state landmark tree. Listen to its story told by Warren County Historian Jimmy Haley, and former state urban forester Tom Simpson. Come along and discover the Birthing Tree through the eyes of a real pioneer family.
Guests
Jimmy Haley
Historian
Warren County, TN
Tom Simpson
former East Tennessee Regional Urban Forester
Department of Agriculture, Division of Forestry
Consulting Editor
David Still, II
Special thanks to:
Gene Hyde
Cheryl Watson Mingle
Elizabeth Benton
Dana Phillips Sorrentino
Kasey Krouse
Josh Abrams
Michelle Sutton
Photo credit
Nick Kuhn
Music
Diccon Lee, www.deeleetree.com
Artwork
Dahn Hiuni, www.dahnhiuni.com/home
Website
thisoldtree.show
Follow on
Facebook or Instagram
We want to hear about the favorite tree in your life! To submit a 1-3 minute audio story for consideration for the "Tree Story Short” segment on This Old Tree, record the story on your phone’s voice memo app and email to:
doug@thisoldtree.net
This episode was written in part at the What Cheer Writers Club, Providence, RI
https://whatcheerclub.spaces.nexudus.com/about -
Ep 10 - Guarding the Cedars: Gilgamesh, and John Perlin's "A Forest Journey"
Gilgamesh, the Sumerian king of Uruk, threatens to cut down the sacred Cedar Forest and claim its wood for his people. First, he must kill the terrifying guardian of the forest, Humbaba. Can he do it? What will the gods think, and what will it mean for humanity? The story's message is central to John Perlin's republished book, A Forest Journey: The Role of Trees in the Fate of Civilization. Forests, and the wood they provide, have been crucial to human society since the beginning of recorded time, and now the fight against climate change. But what does history tell us about how we treat them?
Guest
John Perlin
Historian, author of A Forest Journey: The Role of Trees in the Fate of Civilization
Patagonia Books
john-perlin.com
Voice Dramatization
Martha Douglas-Osmundson
LinkedIn
Consulting Editor
David Still, II
Special Thanks to:
My father, David Still, for his advice and interpretation of The Epic of Gilgamesh
All readings from the Epic of Gilgamesh translated by Andrew George.
Music
Diccon Lee, www.deeleetree.com
Artwork
Dahn Hiuni, www.dahnhiuni.com/home
Website
thisoldtree.show
Follow on
Facebook or Instagram
We want to hear about the favorite tree in your life! To submit a 1-3 minute audio story for consideration for the "Tree Story Short” segment on This Old Tree, record the story on your phone’s voice memo app and email to:
doug@thisoldtree.net
This episode was written in part at the What Cheer Writers Club, Providence, RI
https://whatcheerclub.spaces.nexudus.com/about -
Ep 9 - The Charter Oak
King James II of England threatened to revoke the precious Charter of Connecticut in 1687, and sent one of his men to retrieve it. That meant an end to the colony's limited democracy and independence. But before it was exchanged during a key meeting, a hero slipped out of the room with it under his arm and hid it within the cavity of an old oak tree. That tree - the Charter Oak - is now a state icon. Get the full story here!
Guest Co-Host and Researcher
Jean Zimmerman
Arborist and author
jeanzimmerman.com
"In the Hidden History of Connecticut's Charter Oak" (blog)
Guests
Robert Storm
Honorary Governor General of the Society of Colonial Wars, Connecticut
Society of Colonial Wars in Connecticut
Jack Hale
Chair, Hartford Tree Advisory Commission
Christopher Martin
Connecticut State Forester
CT State Forestry - Dept. of Energy and Environmental Protection
Allan Fenner
Consulting Arborist
Robb Barnard (Voice of Mark Twain)
Head of Performing Arts
Lincoln School, Providence, RI
lincolnschool.org
Consulting Editor
David Still, II
Music
Diccon Lee, www.deeleetree.com
Artwork
Dahn Hiuni, www.dahnhiuni.com/home
Website
thisoldtree.show
Follow on
Facebook or Instagram
We want to hear about the favorite tree in your life! To submit a 1-3 minute audio story for consideration for the "Tree Story Short” segment on This Old Tree, record the story on your phone’s voice memo app and email to:
doug@thisoldtree.net
This episode was written in part at the What Cheer Writers Club, Providence, RI
https://whatcheerclub.spaces.nexudus.com/about -
Ep 8 - Harlem's Tree of Hope
Picture yourself in Harlem in New York City, and it’s the 1920’s. There’s a cultural awakening going on - there’s jazz and dance, theater and literature, big celebrities and lots of new talent looking for a break. And of course - because this is a show about trees - there's a tree that becomes a symbol of the Harlem Renaissance. It’s the Tree of Hope, and it was a good luck charm to black performers looking to make the big time. Garden historian and storyteller Abra Lee tells the story of this particular tree’s rise to fame, its demise, and its enduring legacy.
Guest
Abra Lee
Garden Historian, Horticulturist, Arborist
Author of the forthcoming book, Conquer the Soil: Black America and the Untold Story of Our Country's Gardeners, Farmers, and Growers (2025)
conquerthesoil.com
Consulting Editor
David Still, II
Music
Diccon Lee, www.deeleetree.com
Artwork
Dahn Hiuni, www.dahnhiuni.com/home
Website
thisoldtree.show
Follow on
Facebook or Instagram
We want to hear about the favorite tree in your life! To submit a 1-3 minute audio story for consideration for the "Tree Story Short” segment on This Old Tree, record the story on your phone’s voice memo app and email to:
doug@thisoldtree.net
This episode was written in part at the What Cheer Writers Club, Providence, RI
https://whatcheerclub.spaces.nexudus.com/about
Customer Reviews
This Old Tree
Doug Still is a tree care professional with many years of experience. Doug is also an historian, a dedicated sleuth, and a wonderful storyteller. By combining these skills he weaves some very interesting stories. It’s almost like hearing them told to you at night while sitting by a campfire. His stories are a little bit like eating peanuts - you can’t stop with just one!
What a great podcast
Terrific!
Appointment Listening
Host Doug Still brings formidable experience in the fields of arborculture and urban forestry to this creative and reportorial endeavor that we eagerly anticipate in our household. The production value is high, the guests are phenomenal, and Doug is a natural podcast talent with a gorgeous voice and a comforting warmth. The subject matter is a dream; learning about the history of and arboricultural considerations behind these grand trees, along with getting to know the people who cherish them, makes for a dreamy listening experience.