The Nature Pages

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~at Outrider

	Every Root an Anchor Wisconsin's Famous and Historic Trees by R. Bruce Allison Wisconsin Historical Society Press, 2005.
	R. Bruce Allison, an arborist and author of several tree-related books and articles, has revised his 1982 volume of Wisconsin's Famous and Historic Trees with updates on the histories, conditions and fates of more than 100 significant trees.		Montello Cottonwood This 200-300-year-old cottonwood has been standing since the first French voyageurs passed through Montello, giving the name "Mont L'Eau" to the area. Photo courtesy of Mary Frances Schjonberg
	Divided into thematic chapters -- historic trees, hanging trees, trees in literature and folklore, etc. -- the trees are profiled with a brief history, description, and a discussion about their significance and current status. Sadly, many of the trees did not survive the 23 years between editions.
	The selection of trees ranges all over the state of Wisconsin, from the Two-Leader Pine in Eau Claire County -- a remnant of the state's virgin pine forest -- to the Geotropic Goff Larch on the University of Wisconsin campus in Madison and the 140-year old Rhodes Bald Cypress (a tree normally found in the semi-tropics) in Kenosha County.		Estimated at over 400 years of age, the General Douglas MacArthur White Pine in Forest County was at one time one of the largest known white pines in the United States. Looming tall at a height of 140 feet, the tree burned to the ground in 2003. Photo courtesy of the Department of Natural Resources
	Allison's sylvan histories are not just about the trees, but also their effects on the people beneath their boughs. "These tree stories are part of the social history of the state and the personal and emotional history of the people," he explains.