Forests_Content Page_Every Root an Anchor

Every Root an Anchor

In Every Root an Anchor, writer and arborist R. Bruce Allison celebrates Wisconsin's most significant, unusual and historic trees. More than 100 fascinating tales introduce us to trees in every corner of the state, some remarkable for their size or age, others for their intriguing histories. From magnificent elms to beloved pines, from hanging trees to surveyors' witness trees, from Frank Lloyd Wright's oaks to Ben Logan's maple, these trees are woven into our social and emotional history, contributing indelibly to our sense of place. They are anchors for time-honored family and community customs, manifestations of our ideals, and reminders of our lives' most significant events.

For this updated edition, Allison revisits the trees' histories and tells us which of these unique landmarks are still standing. He sets forth an environmental message as well, reminding us to recognize our undeniable connectedness to trees and to manage our tree resources wisely. As early Wisconsin conservationist Increase Lapham said, tree histories increase our love of home and improve our hearts. They deserve to be told and remembered.

View and download [PDF] the book's full text.

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  • Permissions, Wisconsin Historical Society Press
    816 State Street
    Madison, WI 53706-1482

Published by the Wisconsin Historical Society Press
Copyright 2005, Wisconsin Historical Society
128 pages, 8½ x 11 - 80 photos - ISBN 0-87020-370-3

Winner of the 2005 Midwest Book Award for Nature Books, Midwest Independent Publishers Association.

Book sections

Chapter I: Wisconsin's Magnificent Elms

Chapter II: Historic Trees

Chapter III: Hanging Trees

Chapter IV: Home Place Trees

Chapter V: Indian Trees

Chapter VI: Surveyor's Trees

Chapter VII: Ancient Huge and Unusual Trees

Chapter VIII: Arboretums, Campus Trees and Forests

Chapter IX: Trees in Literature, Art and Folklore

Chapter X: Arborphiles