“When is the best time to plant a tree? Twenty years ago. The second best time? Today.”—Chinese proverb.

Share in Jim Robbins’ reflections of his time with David Milarch, as well as the new voice of Hope Jahren, and how both have a passion for the simple yet incredibly complex world of trees and the hope they inspire.

When New York Times journalist Jim Robbins came upon Milarch’s story, he was fascinated but had his doubts. Yet over several years, listening to Milarch and talking to scientists, he came to realize that there is so much we do not yet know about trees: how they die, how they communicate, the myriad crucial ways they filter water and air and otherwise support life on Earth. Each day, it seems, we are learning something new about these creatures with whom we share the world.

“What an irony it is that these living beings whose shade we sit in, whose fruit we eat, whose limbs we climb, whose roots we water, to whom most of us rarely give a second thought, are so poorly understood,” Robbins writes “We need to come, as soon as possible, to a profound understanding and appreciation for trees and forests and the vital role they play, for they are among our best allies in the uncertain future that is unfolding.” It’s increasingly clear that as the planet changes, trees and forest are essential to assuring its survival.

Tree scientist Hope Jahren shares some of that fascinating tree knowledge in her compulsively readable and compelling memoir, “Lab Girl.” Her last pages have a simple ask: Plant a tree. She extends the mantle of scientist to each of us, inviting us to join her in both observing and protecting our environment.