‘Killing’ trees: How true environmental protection requires a revolution in how we talk about, and with, our forests

Sarah’s article in the online academic journalism magazine The Conversation.

Which came first, the acorn or the oak? A more important question is which came first: our words for trees, or our understandings of what trees are?

Human discourse around trees both shapes and is shaped by our education, beliefs, experience and relationships with trees. Simply put, how we speak about trees matters.

Ten years ago, I appreciated trees alongside concern for the health of our planet, but did not consider the ways we speak about trees or their profound intricacies. Then, through an unexpected turn in my research, I became more aware of trees’ relationships, sentience, intelligence and interconnections with their environments as home and community.

(Abbott, 2023, paras. 1-3)

Link to Article

“Such a shift and lasting change means we must not talk about trees, but with trees.”
– Sarah Abbott

Image credit: “Sycamore Gap” by Edna Winti is licensed under CC BY 2.0.