If you found yourself itching to get into the woods after reading Peter Wohlleben and Jane Billinghurst’s Forest Walking: Discovering the Trees and Woodlands of North America, discover Worth More Standing: Poets and Activists Pay Homage to Trees (Caitlin Press). Edited by Christine Lowther, the book is “a celebratory awakening to all Earth Citizens to see trees as far more valuable than in board feet of lumber” (Paul Stamets, award-winning mycologist, author, and bee protector).
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Christine Lowther’s Worth More Standing is Peter Wohlleben and Jane Billinghurst’s Forest Walking, but for the poetry lover. Like Forest Walking, Worth More Standing encourages the reader to engage the senses and get immersed in the magic of the forest ecosystem. “The tree is in the midst of an intellectual renaissance,” writes Governor General’s Award-nominated poet Stephen Collis in his review of Worth More Standing. Both books contribute to a growing appreciation for forests’ complex ecosystems, beauty, and necessity. While Worth More Standing does so through poetry, Forest Walking takes a more instructive approach, teaching the reader how to become a “forest detective” and “get the most out of a walk in the woods.” German forester Peter Wohlleben and his editor Jane Billinghurst share answers to questions such as “How can we safely explore the forest at night?” and “What activities can we use to engage children with the forest?” while teaching readers how to truly slow down and listen to what the trees have to say. Worth More Standing, edited by former Tofino Poet Laureate Christine Lowther, is an impressive collection of poems from some of Canada’s most celebrated and influential writers. The book is separated into four parts: Connection, Ecology, Grief, and Protection. It contains several poems with calls to action to protect our forests. One such example is Lowther’s “To-do List for Town Tree Protectors” in which she provides readers with a helpful list of actions to take to help protect trees: “Lobby individual councillors, known for years./ Point out how ample shade mitigates a heat dome.” Worth More Standing is at once a rallying cry to protect remaining ancient giants and, like Forest Walking, a celebration of the spectacular nature of the trees and ecosystems to which we are all inextricably connected.
