"Using recent science, reports from field research, detours through evolutionary history, and sometimes surprising literary references, Rix reveals the myriad ways in which trees bend the natural world to their own ends, from seeding clouds with volatile organic compounds and mining minerals with their roots to wielding forest fires against their competitors and tempting animals (including dinosaurs, dodos, and humans) into spreading their seeds."
"She recounts feats both scientific and artistic, including Nadar's shots taken from a giant hot-air balloon, and underwater images captured in cumbersome diving gear. Most striking are some of the hazards that early photographers encountered-in the nineteenth century, their work required handling cyanide fixatives and flash powder that was explosive enough to shatter windows and blow up houses."
Trees function as ecosystem engineers par excellence, capable of manipulating water, air, soil and fire to create conditions necessary for their survival. Recent science and field research document trees seeding clouds with volatile organic compounds, mining minerals with roots, wielding forest fires against competitors, and enticing animals—including dinosaurs, dodos and humans—to disperse seeds. Trees therefore emerge as organisms with profound agency that reshape their environments. The early history of photography involved restless ingenuity, producing feats such as aerial shots from giant balloons and underwater images in cumbersome diving gear, while exposing practitioners to hazards like cyanide fixatives and explosive flash powder.
Read at The New Yorker
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