(ENVS Lunch & Learn) Witness Tree: What one oak tells us about our changing world and relationship with nature

BTQURU 03 is a spectacular, 100 year old red oak: a tagged, tracked research specimen in a long term study of changing seasons at the Harvard Forest. Sprouted back when the industrial revolution was just getting started, the oak grew to tower over what was once a farmer’s field, abandoned as people left for jobs in factories and cities – beginning the transformation of our world. Here, in this tree, is a living timeline of those social and historical changes, and their environmental consequences, observable in my tree’s growth and even its breath.

Lynda Mapes is a reporter at the Seattle Times and author, specializing in coverage of people and nature and the workings of the natural world. She has won many awards for her work, most recently for her coverage of the largest dam removal project ever in history, which also lead to her book Elwha: A River Reborn, and a museum exhibit based on her book now touring the US. Last year, Lynda was awarded a prestigious Knight fellowship in Science Journalism at MIT which lead to her new book, Witness Tree, under contract with Bloomsbury Publishing. Lynda is researching and writing the book this year while a Bullard Fellow at the Harvard Forest. More information:www.lyndavmapes.com

Every week during the academic year, the ENVS Lunch & Learn lecture series features speakers from government, industry, academia and non-profit organizations to give presentations on environmental topics. This is a great opportunity to broaden your knowledge beyond the curriculum, meet other faculty and students and network with the speakers.

Students, faculty, staff, and visitors are welcome to attend.

Food is generously sponsored by the Tufts Institute of the Environment.

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