Wise Trees

Diane Cook, Len Jenshel, Verlyn Klinkenborg

Wise Trees is a photography book about trees that have a remarkable story to tell us. To create it, photographers Diane Cook and Len Jenshel spent two years travelling to five continents to photograph fifty-seven extraordinary trees that were carefully selected for their historic and cultural significance. From Luna, the coastal redwood in California that became an international symbol for conservation, to the Bodhi Tree, the sacred fig in India that is a direct descendent of the tree under which the Buddha attained enlightenment, Cook and Jenshel reveal trees that have shaped our lives and our feelings about nature. The project both reflects and inspires awareness of the enduring role trees have played in nurturing and sheltering humanity.