Random Things Tours: Thirteen Ways to Smell a Tree by David George Haskell

 `Stepping outside, we inhale the aromas of trees, whether on city streets or in woodlands`.

We associate smells and aromas with flowers and even grass, but we rarely think the trees in terms of smells and fragrances. Inspired by our furtive city experience, where trees are rather guardians of our gardens, alleys and parks, we rather prefer to see them as an element of urban decoration than as a slice of nature with its own personality. Unless we are blessed to live in a city with limetrees. Or we had once the experience of getting to know an olive tree.

Biologist and writer David George Haskell helps us to come to terms by reconsidering our relationship with trees within the local geography of a city, but also in a wider historical context. Through his nature explorations across the US, UK, Scotland, Australia, France and the Mediterranean realm, he brought 13 specific tales to educate through empathy and knowledge. Thirteen Ways to Smell a Tree explains the life science of trees, why we need them and how we can communicate with them and understand them. 

For instance,´What we humans experience as aromas, trees use to communicate and defend´. There are chemical signals through which the change of the seasons is communicated not only from one tree to another, but to the other participants to the eco-realm as well. Take, for instance, squirrels, attuned to oak aromas and able to figure out through those smells when the right time has come to start their frantic collection of winter supplies. 

But there are many others way through which the trees are filling our lives with aromas - in the most indulgent ways; take for instance the casks used to produce and mature the whisky. In the front of my bedroom I have a huge old chestnut tree. Without too much ado, this tree always let me know when the seasons are changing, especially when I am too tired to notice that spring is about to bloom or to lose its leaves. It always happens overnight, but through the years I´ve learned to pay attention to its sudden moods.

And there is a special way of nature reacting to the dramatic urban and human change in general. Haskell mentions how, after Hiroshima the ginkgo trees were the first signs of life after the blast.

In addition to going out in the nature and exploring the varying dialects of the trees language, one can have a direct way to smell the trees: through the pages of the books and papers. I may confess that I am not easily giving up at the argument books vs. ebooks in favor of the printed books based on the special smell of the pages, but nevertheless it is another way to look at things. 

The book has a musical companion, short musical pieces by Katherine Lehmann available on Soundcloud or available as part of the audiobook version. It reminds me of an open air installation by Laurie Anderson I had the chance to explore a couple of years ago in Japan, when in a park, each flower or tree was assigned a specific soundtrack. 

If you feel the winters are too long or you feel rootless in the city, look at the trees and try to get to know them. It will diminish the feeling of alienation we may have sometimes overwhelmed by the technicity and mechanicism of the big cities. Thirteen Ways to Smell a Tree is teaching us how we can actually make it through.

Rating: 5 stars

Disclaimer: Book offered as part of the book tour but the opinions are, as usual, my own