Progressive Commentary Hour - 04.18.17

CONVERSATIONS WITH REMARKABLE MINDS

For Earth Day week – The wisdom of the forest in the time of rapid climate change and what we need to learn from nature in order to counter human greed and hubris

If Jane Goodall is the ambassador for the animal kingdom, and Vandana Shiva is the ambassador for seeds, then Diana Beresford-Kroeger is unquestionably the global ambassador speaking on behalf of the world’s trees and forests. Perhaps no one possesses the wisdom of the forest as Diana -- an Irish-Canadian researcher, botanical scientist, medical biochemist and nature mystic. She has written extensively on the molecular biology of trees, their medicinal properties, trees’ social interactions in the forest and with other life forms, forest conservation, and the traditional wisdom trees hold for healing. In the past Diana has held science posts at the Canadian Department of Agriculture and the University of Ottawa School of Medicine.  She is a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and was named a World Visionary by Utne Reader. Her research gardens outside Ottawa, open to the public, include rare plants from Turkey, Iran, China, and a hundred rare types of trees from the northern forests and other countries, many that are endangered.  Her latest book is “The Sweetness of a Simple Life” and a documentary about Diana’s work across many nations exploring the secrets of northern forests, “The Call of the Forest: The Forgotten Wisdom of Trees” was recently released across Canada. More about her work can be found at CallOfTheForest.ca