Trees. How the Lives of Humans and Trees are Intertwined

Trees are significantly older than humans: they have existed for hundreds of millions of years. Long before the last ice age reached Europe, the land here was covered with lush forests. Without trees, the human race could not survive. Andreas Haze tells about twenty-six species of trees that are most important to human history and culture, gives a biological description of their parts, writes about the ways seeds are dispersed, about the use of wood and other gifts of trees in human economic activities, the etymology of some names, and beliefs related to trees.

«Trees not only give us excellent fruits, their leaves, flowers, and roots serve us not only - without them we would have no tools, houses, fences, bridges, books, and much more. Trees protect people from unpredictable phenomena of nature, from frost and heat, from floods and drought. Without trees, we would be nothing; we need them like air, so it’s no surprise that on all continents, in all civilizations, amongst all peoples, in the great myths related to the history of humanity, there is always mention of the tree.» (Andreas Haze)