We should give thanks to the trees thirteen times per minute, which is the average breathing rate of a resting adult. The more than 3 billion trees that exist on the planet are essential to life because they generate 28% of the oxygen and absorb around 30% of the carbon dioxide. In addition, Their presence is a constant, except in difficult places in our cities.fashionable in recent decades, but also due to its absence in very densified municipalities, where, fortunately, their mayors are overturning their inhospitable habitat by welcoming the naturalization of their cities through the planting of trees to reconnect us to nature .
Trees act as natural air conditioners, as they absorb harmful gases, such as carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted by vehicles and industry when burning fossil fuels. They also act as carbon sinks through the small pores in their leaves and transform it into energy, releasing the oxygen we need to live into the atmosphere. They are the lungs of the Earth and help mitigate climate change. In addition, its shade and the humidity given off by its leaves can regulate temperatures in summer by up to 8 degrees Celsius in addition to the shade they provide which also protects us from the harmful ultraviolet rays of the sun.
Vital in cities
This is why trees are important in cities, as they improve air quality by removing polluting gases such as ozone, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide. Some species, such as shade plantain, also remove dust particles, spores and bacteria from the atmosphere.which are trapped in its bark and in the velvety surface of its leaves. Bananas are present in many cities like Barcelona, due to their ability to resist urban stress and absorb pollution.
Beyond guaranteeing our survival, they are also allies of our mental health. A lot Ancient cultures recognize the impact of nature on our health, and recently science has managed to reveal just how true this is.. Studies show that spending time in nature, or simply looking at trees, reduces blood pressure, decreases cortisol and adrenaline (hormones linked to stress and anxiety), and improves mood. This is Shinri-yoku, or “forest bathing”, a practice that appeared in the 1980s in Japan, which has become a very popular form of ecotherapy. As we relax among the trees, we absorb monoterpenes, the aromatic components of trees, substances that influence our brains, reducing tension, aggression, depression and other forms of distress. Studies have also shown that spending time in green spaces strengthens our immune system.
Read to “embrace” them
The practice of hugging trees is also widespread so that these companions of nature transmit their energy and peace to us. With Phaidon’s book, we embrace nearly 3,500 years of arboreal history, from the ancient Greeks to the present day, and which takes us to all continents to learn about the cultures that inhabit them and discover the ways infinite from which artists and creators have found inspiration. in the world of trees and forests. It’s a fascinating study which includes more than 300 spectacular images with very varied content: There are paintings, botanical illustrations, sculptures, nature photographs, photograms and textile works.
Beyond the relationship between the structure of the bronchi of human lungs and that of trees, This work addresses symbolic questionssuch as representations of family trees, or mythological ones, such as the bodi tree, the tree of the Garden of Eden or the tree deities of many other cultures. To this we must add those trees that are the fruit of fantasy or in which there are small houses between their branches, in addition to invented species, probably inspired by the natural world.
Pillars of civilization
For thousands of years, trees have been the pillars of civilization and industry. Among many other uses, wood has been used as fuel, to construct buildings, vehicles, furniture, tools and musical instruments. But they also made a spiritual contribution. Druids considered yews to be sacred trees and used them as places of worship.. They never lost their leaves and lived for hundreds of years. For the Druids, who believed in reincarnation, they symbolized eternal life. And in our time, uses are still being discovered for its wood, such as the development of chemotherapeutic drugs from the bark of the Pacific yew. In Roman culture, the walnut tree was associated with Jupiter, the king of the gods.
Another conifer, The cedar of Lebanon is mentioned in the Bible as a symbol of strength and beauty.. Its wood was used by King Solomon to build the temple in Jerusalem and by the Phoenicians to build their ships with which they became a merchant city. The Egyptians used its resin in the mummification process and in North America birch was used as an insulating material due to its high oil content.
Source of food and science
In addition to their applications in construction and crafts, trees have been a source of food for millennia, enriching our diets with fruits, spices and other delights. Fruits occupy a central place in our myths and traditions, both with their skin and their skin.. From stories like that of Snow White or Johnny Appleseed, or the apple tree of Woolsthorpe Manor, and at their feet, the English physicist and mathematician Isaac Newton developed the theory of gravity when he saw one of its apples in Lincolnshire (England). It went down in history under the name “Newton’s apple tree”, so much so that its seeds were transported to the International Space Station in 2016.
Another of his Spices, such as cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves, contribute to the culinary world.products which in medieval Europe were as valuable as gold and whose trade fueled the expeditions and colonization of Southeast Asia. Without forgetting the cocoa with which chocolate is made, coffee, the liquid sap with which rubber is made, paper, responsible for 15% of wood consumption, or even quinine, used to treat malaria since the 17th century. century. This is enough of a reminder that trees are one of our most precious natural resources, like frankincense and myrrh, pure natural gold.
Abundant artistic representation
Whether depicted by the ancient Romans in stone mosaics, illustrated in illuminated manuscripts, captured on paper, on textiles, or captured digitally with the latest cutting-edge technology, trees have been abundantly depicted artistically as a constant and beloved subject artists and creators of all. . In striking blue packaging, this captivating book celebrates every element of trees, from root to leaf, and provides compelling evidence of its cultural, artistic and historical significance.
Since ancient times, trees have inspired artistic creation across the world. The olive tree, one of the first trees cultivated between six thousand and eight thousand years ago, as attested by Egyptian tombs and sacred Hebrew texts, symbolized the prosperity of the promised land. In China, trees were the protagonists of landscape painting and The blossoming of plum and cherry trees, called sakura, has been a recurring theme for centuries. and it has been captured on all types of media: screens, rolls of silk, fans and kimonos. These are beautiful and symbolic images. The flowers of these trees put on quite a spectacle in spring and represent vitality, hope and renewal, but they also remind us of the ephemeral nature of beauty.
Inspired by the Renaissance ideal, classical landscape painting emerged and Romantic artists painted them extensively because trees were more than just landscape decorations and could be worthy subjects for a portrait. The practice of painting outdoors expanded its arboreal orientation and continued into Impressionism.. Claude Monet painted series of poplars, willows, cypresses and palm trees, among other species.
Anthropomorphic trees
Cinema has also contributed to popular culture by focusing on trees until they became icons, from the apple trees that Dorothy confronts while crossing Oz to the Whomping Willow in the Harry Potter saga, including the The endearing Treebeard from the Lord of the Rings trilogy, including the Whomping Willow from the Harry Potter saga. anthropomorphic tree that lives in the Gangorn Forest with other entities, such as the Tree of A Monster Comes to See Me, by Spanish director Juan Antonio Bayona.
The Trees book follows the same format and structure as its predecessors published by Phaidon, such as the successful “Explore the World” series (Maps, Plants, Universes, Animals, Oceans and Gardens): each page is composed of an image large format. , technical specifications and a brief text explaining the historical and cultural significance of the work, its aesthetic appeal, its innovative aspects, the tree species, the geographical feature or the connection between human being and tree represented, if applicable. The work is aimed at the general public, but is of particular interest to specialists, artists, designers, art historians, naturalists and environmental defenders.. The text is a general introduction to the subject, but it is possible that even specialists will find surprising or little-known data.
The book is large format and its copies are part of trees from which the paper was extracted to print them, yes, with great quality and luxury of detail. Tony Kirkham, former Director of Arboretum, Gardens and Horticulture at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, London, concludes in the introduction to the specimen that “I hope that the beauty and symbolism of these works will awaken interest and concern for the ills that afflict nature”.
