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  • The Treeline

  • The Last Forest and the Future of Life on Earth
  • By: Ben Rawlence
  • Narrated by: Jamie Parker
  • Length: 11 hrs and 59 mins
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (77 ratings)
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The Treeline cover art

The Treeline

By: Ben Rawlence
Narrated by: Jamie Parker
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Summary

Brought to you by Penguin.

The Treeline is a spellbinding blend of nature, travel and science writing, deeply researched and beautifully written, underpinned by an urgent environmental message.

The Arctic Treeline - the northern limit of the boreal forest that encircles the globe in an almost unbroken green ring - is the second largest biome on our planet. At this little-known frontline of climate change, the trees have been creeping towards the pole for 50 years already.

Six of the tree species that populate these forests (larch, spruce, mountain ash, downy birch, balsam poplar and Scots pine) form the central protagonists of Ben Rawlence's story. In Scotland, Northern Scandinavia, Siberia, Alaska, Canada and Greenland, he discovers what these trees and the people who live and work alongside them have to tell us about the past, present and future of our planet. Scientists are only just beginning to understand the astonishing significance of these forests for all life on Earth. At the Treeline, Rawlence witnesses the accelerating impact of climate change and the devastating legacies of colonialism and capitalism. But he also finds reasons for hope. Humans are creatures of the forest; we have always evolved with trees. The Treeline asks us where our co-evolution might take us next.

©2022 Ben Rawlence (P)2022 Penguin Audio

What listeners say about The Treeline

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Fascinating and troubling

Came across this on BBC Radio 4's Book of the Week serialisation. Bought it after the first episode. TL/DR - climate change is shifting the boreal forest northwards. Ben Rawlence circumnavigates the globe, visiting the leading and trailing edges of the forest - the treelines. He packs in plenty of science as he describes the complex processes reshaping the physical environment of the far north, its impact on those who live there, and the broader implications for the planet.
It's very well-written and read. If you're interested in the environment, forests, snow or arctic(ish) travelogues you should appreciate this. I won't say 'enjoy' as Ben's well-argued conclusions are even more troubling than I expected, and I wasn't exactly hopeful.

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4 people found this helpful

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Eye opening wake-up call

A very interesting story exploring the health of the treeline around the northern hemisphere, investigating the worrying rapid movement of the treeline due to global warming and the trigger effects it has, a truly concerning wake up call to everyone on the planet to do their bit however small too reduce our carbon footprint .
the author also explains the different interactions between species and touches on ancient traditional human cultures and the wealth of wisdom and knowledge we are in danger of losing in our modernisation and losing touch with nature.
the narrator is easy to listen to.

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2 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars

okish

Could have been quite good if there wasn't a fair bit of neo pagan made up stuff.

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2 people found this helpful

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A magnum opus

Ecology, History, Spirituality, Mythology, Travelog. Just amazing. So hope filled as well. Great stuff overall.

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Flowed well and very descriptive, in a good way

As a groundskeeper and a student environmental scientist I thought this would interest me and it did.

It reconfirmed things I'd learnt but taught me a whole lot more. It's as scary as you would imagine in that it holds no punches about global heating. But I felt a sense of wonder and awe at how adaptable forests can be.

The narration is superb! Wonderful knowledge imparted in a calming way.

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    4 out of 5 stars

The Treeline is fascinating and thought provoking

Very interesting about the importance of certain key species of trees, some that we often don't give enough attention to. A must for those interested in the natural world and ecology.

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Thought provking...

One of the most interesting and thought provoking books I've read in a long time.
Very good narration too👍🏼

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Originality of this journey and poignant moments highlighting the destruction of the natural world by man.

Liked it all, particularly interesting was the role of the various boreal tree species. Also liked the meetings with native peoples and the amazing scientists the author met along the way.

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Sobering but hopeful

The book takes you on a sobering circumnavigation of the northern latitudes to investigate the impact of climate change. Unique, sobering and ultimately hopeful.

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Fascinating glimpse into the climate and trees

A very enjoyable but quite detailed look at the real treeline, how it has changed, what it means for us and ultimately, can we do anything about it?
Thought -provoking and acknowledges climate change without being adversarial with opinions - this is more about looking at what happens cyclically as well as man-made issues and also introduces the various people who live on the treeline across the continents.
Exceptionally well narrated too which helped absorb the information.

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