Evergreen
The Trees That Shaped America
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
A sweeping natural history of the humble trees that built nations, sparked wars, and became the world's most cherished holiday tradition.
Every December, millions of people around the globe adorn their homes, offices, and town squares with lavishly decorated Christmas trees to celebrate the holiday season. Yet few pause to wonder: Where did this tradition come from? And in an age of climate upheaval and artificial replicas, will these beloved trees still be here for future generations?
In Evergreen, Cornell University professor Trent Preszler weaves together a captivating story of humanity’s deeply rooted relationship with evergreens, revealing how the trees shaped economies, launched cultural movements, and propelled America’s rise to global prominence. With stunning historical range and lyrical insight, Preszler guides readers from the awe-inspiring evergreen cathedrals of the West to Christmas tree farms in the Midwest, sawmills in the South, the iconic Rockefeller Center spruce in the East, and beyond.
Blending cinematic detail with compelling ecological and cultural history, Evergreen explores the hidden tensions between nature, commerce, and spirituality that have confounded humanity for millennia. At once timeless and urgently relevant, Evergreen delivers a stirring reflection on the quiet power of trees, challenging us to reconsider the delicate balance between our restless ambition and the living world that sustains us.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This sparkling history from Cornell University professor Preszler (Little and Often) explores America's relationship with evergreen trees. Lavishly decorated each Christmas season, these trees have played a vital role in the U.S. economy and culture, Preszler argues ("Worshipped and burned, protected and plundered, evergreens reflect who we are and reveal the stories we tell"). He traces their history from ancient times when the Romans and Egyptians revered them for their resilience to their eventual adoption within Christianity and secularization in American culture. He goes on to detail their use for fuel and shelter, chronicling how evergreens became symbols of independence ahead of the American Revolution as British efforts to control the valuable resource sparked tensions with colonists. Throughout, Preszler demonstrates how evergreen forests have been ravaged without regard for human safety or ecological stability, noting that lumberjacks and enslaved workers faced dangerous conditions, like falling trees and exposed saw blades, and that the felling of large swaths of trees have degraded watersheds, displaced native species, and depleted carbon storehouses. Still, evergreens' role as symbols of holiday cheer persists, though it comes at a cost: often manufactured and quickly discarded, Christmas trees are increasingly being tailored to a consumer economy obsessed with convenience. Preszler's well-researched and often poignant account is strewn with intriguing trivia. History and nature buffs alike will find much to enjoy.
