Take to the Trees

A Story of Hope, Science, and Self-Discovery in America's Imperiled Forests

27 June 2025

Territory Rights — Worldwide.

Description

An empowering journey into the overstory with the arborists and forest experts safeguarding our iconic trees

Journalist Marguerite Holloway arrives at the Women’s Tree Climbing Workshop as a novice. Run by twin sister tree doctors Bear LeVangie and Melissa LeVangie Ingersoll, the programme helps people—from everyday tree lovers to women arborists working in a largely male industry—develop remarkable skills and channel their passion for the outdoors. As Holloway tackles unfamiliar equipment and dizzying heights, she tells stories of charismatic trees and spotlights experts exploring the ecology of resilience amidst climate-driven plagues of pests and drought. As she climbs and learns about the science of trees, she comes to understand their profound significance in her relationship with her late mother and brother. A gorgeously illustrated story of ecology and personal empowerment, Take to the Trees sounds the alarm about rapid arboreal decline while also offering hope about how we might care for our forests and ourselves.

Reviews

"In her powerful and affecting book, Marguerite Holloway makes a case for how caretaking trees is really caretaking ourselves, and each other." — Florence Williams, author of The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative

"The book in part is a sad tale of the damage we have done, but when Marguerite Holloway herself takes to the trees and learns from those who work with them, she plants the seeds of reconciliation between people and the non-human world. Readers should take the title literally and do likewise." — William Bryant Logan, author of Sprout Lands

"Powerful and moving, Take to the Trees will resonate with anyone looking for ways to live with optimism and courage through our current era. Just as Holloway literally climbs into trees and finds herself, so too does the book explore the connections between trees and the branches of our lives—from the visible canopy to the substantive roots." — Alexandra Horowitz, author of Inside of a Dog and The Year of the Puppy