25 episodes

Old trees are awe inspiring links to the past that fire our imagination. What are their stories? 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. Monthly.

This Old Tree Doug Still

    • Science
    • 4.9 • 44 Ratings

Old trees are awe inspiring links to the past that fire our imagination. What are their stories? 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. Monthly.

    The Mariner and the Mulberry

    The Mariner and the Mulberry

    A large old mulberry tree at Truro Vineyards on Cape Cod comes with a legend. A sea captain brought it back from the South Pacific and planted it for his young wife. Or his girlfriend. Or someone named Amelia. Is this story true? Who was the captain, and what became of him?

    Come along to open dusty books, unfurl old maps, and decide what you think.

    Guests
    Kristen Roberts
    Owner
    Truro Vineyards
    Truro, MA

    Ken MacPhee
    Arborist Representative
    Bartlett Tree Experts
    Orleans, MA

    Janice Pelosi
    Manager
    Truro Historical Society
    Truro, MA

    Norman Pope
    Volunteer
    Truro Historical Society
    Truro, MA

    Peter Coles
    Author of Mulberry
    Morus londinium 
    London, UK

    Consulting Editor
    David Still II

    Recorder Music
    David Bor and Kimberly Wass
    "The Wellerman"
    "Sleep Soond I da Mornin'"
    "Leave Her Johnny"

    Other Music
    The Hill Top Trio
    "Spanish Ladies"
    Theme Music
    Diccon Lee, www.deeleetree.com

    Artwork
    Dahn Hiuni, www.dahnhiuni.com/home

    Website
    thisoldtree.show
    Transcripts available.

    Follow on
    Facebook or Instagram

    We want to hear about the favorite tree in your life! To submit a ~3 or 4 minute audio story for consideration for an upcoming episode of "Tree Story Shorts" 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 LitArts RI, a community organization and co-working space that supports Rhode Island's creators.
    litartsri.org

    • 55 min
    Tree Story Shorts III

    Tree Story Shorts III

    Here's the third edition of "Tree Story Shorts" on This Old Tree, where guests get to tell their own tree stories! Charles Darwin, bride and groom trees, a massive American elm in Illinois, Al Capone, original tree-inspired music, a tree used for meetings at an army base, a moving story from war-torn Ukraine - this episode has it all. Listen to what people have to say about the trees that inspire them.

    Guests
    Rob McBride
    The Tree Hunter
    Ellesmere, Shropshire, U.K.
    Instagram

    Georgia Barnhill
    Amherst Historical Society
    Amherst, MA

    Joe Hansen
    The Municipal Arborist Podcast
    Instagram

    Grayson Bo Guthrie
    Baltimore Tree Keeper
    Baltimore, MD
    Instagram

    Kamala Sankaram
    Composer and Singer
    KamalaSankaram.com

    Lawarren Patterson
    Retired Army Major General
    San Antonio, TX
    Bio

    Olena Kozak
    Ukrainian Ecological Club - Green Wave
    Kyiv, Ukraine
    Theme Music
    Diccon Lee, www.deeleetree.com

    Artwork
    Dahn Hiuni, www.dahnhiuni.com/home

    Website
    thisoldtree.show
    Transcripts available.

    Follow on
    Facebook or Instagram

    We want to hear about the favorite tree in your life! To submit a ~3 or 4 minute audio story for consideration for an upcoming episode of "Tree Story Shorts" 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 LitArts RI, a community organization and co-working space that supports Rhode Island's creators.
    litartsri.org

    • 35 min
    Europe's 2023 Tree of the Year: The Fabrykant Oak

    Europe's 2023 Tree of the Year: The Fabrykant Oak

    The Fabrykant Oak, translated as the "Factory Owner's Oak," received 45,000 votes to become Europe's Tree of the Year. Located in Łódź, it captures the hearts of people in its home country of Poland and around the world. Full of personality and stunningly  beautiful, the story of this Quercus robur strikes deep into the city's culture and history. How does an old tree overcome the past to become a symbol of rebirth and a brighter future?

    Guests
    Adam Golub
    Project Manager and Brussels Representative
    European Tree of the Year
    Environmental Partnership Association
     treeoftheyear.org
    Brussels, Belgium

    Przemek Bartos
    Ecologist and Blogger
    Przyroda dla Sosnowca
    The Oak Fabrykant - Video
    Sosnowiec, Poland

    Jacek Boźek
    Director, Klub Gaja
    Ecological and Cultural Association
    klubgaja.pl
    Wilkowice, Poland

    Anna Wierzbicka
    Director of Environmental Management Division
    City of Łódź
    Poland
    Green Bond Framework

    Maria Duszynska McCauley
    Centerville, MA, USA

    Consulting Editor
    David Still II

    Music
    Frédéric Chopin - to be updated

    Photo Credit
    Jakub Kubka
    Theme Music
    Diccon Lee, www.deeleetree.com

    Artwork
    Dahn Hiuni, www.dahnhiuni.com/home

    Website
    thisoldtree.show
    Transcripts available.

    Follow on
    Facebook or Instagram

    We want to hear about the favorite tree in your life! To submit a ~3 or 4 minute audio story for consideration for an upcoming episode of "Tree Story Shorts" 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 LitArts RI, a community organization and co-working space that supports Rhode Island's creators.
    litartsri.org

    • 1 hr 1 min
    The Emancipation Oak

    The Emancipation Oak

    A 300 yr-old Live Oak tree on the campus of Hampton University in Virginia stuns visitors with its strength and beauty. It’s also an enduring symbol of a watershed moment in American history - the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation during the Civil War, which freed enslaved people in the rebel states.

    How could a tree play a role in that momentous event, at least locally? What did emancipation truly mean to African-Americans in 1863? How does the tree still inspire the hearts and imagination of people today?

    Guests
    Abra Lee
    Garden Historian, Writer, Lecturer
    conquerthesoil.com
    Director of Horticulture, Oakland Cemetery
    Atlanta, GA

    Prof. Robert Watson
    Assistant Professor of History
    Hampton University
    Hampton, VA

    Tim Nuckols
    Owner, Nuckols Tree Care
    Virginia Beach, VA

    Consulting Editor
    Josh Abrams

    Music
    "Steal Away" - Wallace Willis
    Arranged by Roland Carter
    Sung by the Winston-Salem State University Choir

    Photo Credit
    Hampton University
    Theme Music
    Diccon Lee, www.deeleetree.com

    Artwork
    Dahn Hiuni, www.dahnhiuni.com/home

    Website
    thisoldtree.show
    Transcripts available.

    Follow on
    Facebook or Instagram

    We want to hear about the favorite tree in your life! To submit a ~3 or 4 minute audio story for consideration for an upcoming episode of "Tree Story Shorts" 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 LitArts RI, a community organization and co-working space that supports Rhode Island's creators.
    litartsri.org

    • 1 hr 9 min
    The Autograph Tree

    The Autograph Tree

    A stunning copper beech tree in Ireland’s County Galway attracts tourists from around the world. Lady Gregory was its owner, and she drew legendary writers of her day to her house and garden at Coole Park - William Butler Yeats, George Bernard Shaw, and others. If they were lucky, they were allowed to etch their names into the bark of what’s now known as the Autograph Tree. Learn the full story steeped in Irish literary history.

    Guests
    Jenni McGuire
    Head Guide, Coole Park Nature Reserve
    Gort, County Galway, Ireland

    Margaux Pierrel
    Conservation Ranger, Coole Park Nature Reserve
    Gort, County Galway, Ireland

    Dr. James Pethica
    Senior Lecturer in English and Theatre, Williams College
    Williamstown, MA, USA

    Dr. Anna Pilz
    Independent Researcher
    Academic Developer & Trainer, University of Edinburgh
    Edinburgh, Scotland

    Consulting Editor
    David Still, II

    Music
    "Cailleach An Airgid" - traditional
    Arranged by Katharina Baker
    Performed by Sonic Strings from Coole Music & Arts in Gort, County Galway
    Soloist - Lilian Owens
    See Sonic Strings performing the piece on Inis Mór on YouTube here
    Theme Music
    Diccon Lee, www.deeleetree.com

    Artwork
    Dahn Hiuni, www.dahnhiuni.com/home

    Website
    thisoldtree.show
    Transcripts available.

    Follow on
    Facebook or Instagram

    We want to hear about the favorite tree in your life! To submit a ~3 or 4 minute audio story for consideration for an upcoming episode of "Tree Story Shorts" 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 LitArts RI, a community organization and co-working space that supports Rhode Island's creators.
    litartsri.org

    • 1 hr 2 min
    Trees in Song: Season 1 Finale

    Trees in Song: Season 1 Finale

    This season 1 recap features thematic highlights from the first 18 episodes, Doug's favorite songs about trees, and an interview with Dee Lee, arborist and songwriter!

    Featured Songs and Artists

    Redwood Tree, Van Morrison  
    Saint Dominick's Preview, 1972
    Warner Bros, Inc.

    English Trees, Crowded House
    Time on Earth, 2007
    Parlophone & ATO Records

    Trees, Louis Armstrong & George Jenkins and His Orchestra
    (Lyrics from Trees by Joyce Kilmer)
    1954

    Big Yellow Taxi, Joni Mitchell
    Ladies of the Canyon, 1970
    Reprise Records, Crazy Crow Music

    King of Trees, Yusuf/Cat Stevens
    Buddha and the Chocolate Box, 1974
    A&M Records, Firecat Music Ld.

    Boys in the Trees, Carly Simon
    Boys in the Trees, 1978
    Elektra Records; C'est Music; Universal Music Corp.

    Mango Tree (Feat. Sara Bareilles), Zac Brown Band
    Jekyll + Hyde, 2015
    Writers: Zac Brown, Anna Elizabeth Harwood, and Niko Moon
    Big Machine Records; Republic; Bettimusic

    It’s the Roots, Dee Lee

    This Old Tree, Dee Lee
    DeeLeeTree.com

    Consulting Editor
    David Still II
    Theme Music
    Diccon Lee, www.deeleetree.com

    Artwork
    Dahn Hiuni, www.dahnhiuni.com/home

    Website
    thisoldtree.show
    Transcripts available.

    Follow on
    Facebook or Instagram

    We want to hear about the favorite tree in your life! To submit a ~3 or 4 minute audio story for consideration for an upcoming episode of "Tree Story Shorts" 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 LitArts RI, a community organization and co-working space that supports Rhode Island's creators.
    litartsri.org

    • 57 min

Customer Reviews

4.9 out of 5
44 Ratings

44 Ratings

Eugene Zhukau ,

Trees and history!

ChatGPT I'm totally in love with this podcast! The quality of sound and production is top-notch, making each episode a joy to listen to. It's like they've found the perfect mix of history and trees, two of my favorite topics, and brought them to life in the most engaging way. It's just awesome how they manage to weave these elements together so seamlessly!

klpny ,

Perfect Tree Lover’s Podcast

I love trees and love giving tours about them at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, so listening to the history of these old trees is wonderful, engaging and relaxing.

DCarl84 ,

A tree guys tree guy.

Just a fellow arborist who is really enjoying your show.

I really appreciated the story of 9/11 from an arborists perspective.

Thank you very much. You are adding more to this world than you know!

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