“The Treeline: The Last Forest and the Future of Life on Earth”The boreal forest, that ring of trees that circles the globe at high latitudes, is the largest living system after the ocean; it’s also the “lungs” of the planet and thus key to our planet’s health. Ben Rawlence, who lives in Wales and whose last book was about a refugee camp in Africa, has brought his concerns about human rights to the disastrous effects of climate change.
Organizationally, the book circles the globe, with each chapter focused on not just a different forest but the tree species most significant for that forest. A map at the beginning, looking down on the North Pole, shows the forests, their northern reach, and the major communities that the author visited.
In the next chapter, featuring Norway and the downy or European white birch, Rawlence visits the Sami reindeer herders in the far north. Here and elsewhere, the author makes very clear that forest health is directly related to human rights and the abilities of Indigenous peoples to maintain their cultural ties and livelihoods. Warmer and wetter weather has led Norway’s birch to “race” over the tundra, reducing the habitat required by reindeer and their herders.
By the time Rawlence investigated Alaska’s treeline and the dominant spruce species, the world was deep into COVID-19 lockdowns. Unable to visit in person, he did an impressive job of studying maps, photos, and reports and speaking to researchers and residents. As he points out, “Alaska is the most studied area of the Arctic; the U.S. has the resources and scientific heft that other nations lack ... a frontier in our understanding of what is happening in geographic as well as scientific terms.