Book
The Wild Trees: A Story of Passion and Daring
Richard Preston
TL;DR
The Wild Trees is the book that tells how Steve Sillett, Marie Antoine and a handful of others first climbed into the redwood canopy and found an ecosystem science had no record of.
Quick Facts
- Author
- Richard Preston
- Publisher
- Random House Trade Paperbacks
- Published
- 12 February 2008
- Pages
- 320
- ISBN
- 9780812975598
The Wild Trees is Richard Preston's account of the small group of botanists and amateur naturalists who worked out how to climb into the redwood canopy and found a living world nobody had known had existed. Two of its central figures are Steve Sillett and Marie Antoine, who both appear in Giants Rising and who still research the redwood canopy at Cal Poly Humboldt. Preston's own account describes them beginning the work as college students, and continuing through personal difficulty. The publisher's description notes that ninety-six percent of the ancient redwood forests have been destroyed by logging, and that the fragments left are among the great wonders of nature.
Why OGSP Recommends It
Richard Preston follows Steve Sillett and Marie Antoine from being college students to being the researchers who described a forest nobody knew existed, high above the one everybody did. It is a real adventure story that happens to be true.
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Related Resources
Key Takeaways
- The book's central figures, Steve Sillett and Marie Antoine, are the same researchers who appear in Giants Rising.
- It records the point at which the redwood canopy stopped being unreachable and became a field of study.
- Its publisher states that ninety-six percent of the ancient redwood forests have been destroyed by logging.
- The climbers began as college students, which is worth knowing for any young reader wondering when a scientific life is supposed to start.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is The Wild Trees about?
It follows the botanists and amateur naturalists who first climbed into the coast redwood canopy in Northern California and documented the life they found there.
Who wrote The Wild Trees?
Richard Preston. Steve Sillett and Marie Antoine are among its subjects, not its authors.
Are the people in The Wild Trees in Giants Rising?
Yes. Stephen C. Sillett and Marie E. Antoine appear in the film, and the publisher's description of the book names them both.
When was The Wild Trees published?
The Random House Trade Paperbacks edition was published on 12 February 2008.