Review
2005 First in the Nature Category from Midwest Independent Publishers Association Book Awards
2005 Merit Award in the Gardening Category from Midwest Independent Publishers Association Book Awards
"One of my very first childhood poems was an ode to a tree. After reading Allison's book I predict many more odes to Wisconsin trees. Not only a history of Wisconsin's famous trees, Allison's book is also a wonderful travel guide highlighting special trees and special places in every corner of the state. This book was written for all of us who have ever appreciated the beauty, shade and memories that trees provide." (Shelley Ryan, Master Gardener and host of Wisconsin Public Television's The Wisconsin Gardener)
"What a marvelous gift Bruce Allison gives us in Every Root an Anchor. His storytelling approach entertains even as he is educating. He reminds us that trees represent more than just the flow of history. Trees also become characters in the lives of people. We interact with them just as we do with human characters, be it a hanging tree, a treaty-signing tree, or my own Big Maple. Included here is a legend of the Black Hawk Tree. An icon of my childhood, it stood in the middle of a street in Prairie du Chien, auto traffic threading past on either side. Did Black Hawk really hide in the tree? That is less important than the fact that the story told is the sad ending of a dying people. Allison knows that trees can speak, and he translates for them and helps them tell their stories." (Ben Logan, author of The Land Remembers)
"Every Root an Anchor is a book rich in history. It exposes the long history of humans interacting with nature. A sense of history should be the most precious gift of science and art. A single tree, if read closely, can become the biography of a family, an area, or a generation of people. For all of its simplicity, a tree can reveal a fundamental message, a world of nuance and significance. Aldo Leopold expressed his feeling and understanding in planting a tree: 'Acts of creation are ordinarily reserved for gods and poets, but humbler folk may circumvent this restriction if they know how. To plant a pine, for example, one need be neither god nor poet; one need only own a shovel. By virtue of this curious loophole in the rules, any clodhopper may say: Let there be a tree — and there will be one.'" (Nina Leopold Bradley, founder and director, Aldo Leopold Foundation)
"This is an important book for Trees! Great stories! I hope that every state has one some day." (Jeffrey Meyer, author of America's Famous and Historic Trees and The Tree Book)
About the Author
R. Bruce Allison has been a professional arborist in Madison, Wisconsin, since 1974. He has earned degrees from Brown University and from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He served as president of the Wisconsin Arborist Association and as chairman of the Dane County Tree Board and the Wisconsin Urban Forestry Council. He is the author of several books and many articles dealing with trees and nature.
