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This Old Tree

This Old Tree

De : Doug Still
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Old trees are awe inspiring links to the past that fire our imagination. What are their stories? Seasoned arborist and amateur historian Doug Still interviews local experts, historians, and regular folks to celebrate the myths and uncover the real tales. If you're a tree lover, join in to look "beyond the plaque" at heritage trees and the human stories behind them. Monthly.

© 2026 This Old Tree
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  • Sa Melabrina and Sardinia's Monumental Trees
    May 5 2026

    Sa Melabrina is a Downy Oak tree the size of a small church, draped in moss and ferns. Her ancient arms spread wide in the surrounding forest near Illorai, Sardinia. She's the oldest and largest of her kind in all of Europe. And she's been standing here in these mountains for nine centuries.

    What she symbolizes is even greater than her beauty.

    The town’s mayor organized a remarkable conference drawing scientists, conservationists, and community leaders from across Sardinia and beyond, all united around a single idea: that Sardinia's ancient trees, its oldest living landmarks, could form a network worth protecting, visiting, and fighting for.

    There is something else at stake. Sardinia's small towns are quietly shrinking. Depopulation is hollowing out villages that have survived for millennia. Saving these old trees is vital, but Sardinia's leaders ask a new type of question:

    Can Sa Melabrina and Sardinia’s monumental trees save its small towns?

    Guests
    Gianluca Grande, Mayor
    Illorai, Sardinia

    Dr. Gianluigi Bacchetta
    Professor, Department of Life and Environmental Sciences
    Director, Centre for the Conservation of Biodiversity and Germplasm Bank of Sardinia
    University of Cagliari, Sardinia

    Pina Muras
    Resident of Illorai, Sardinia

    Carlo Poddi
    Arborist, Sassari, Sardinia

    Readings
    "
    Su chercu pius bellu" (The Most Beautiful Oak) by Ignazio Camarda - read by Fulgenzio Piras
    "The Sa Melabrina Oak" by Graziano Nudda

    Quote by T.S. Eliot from "The Little Gidding"

    Voiceover Readers
    Manuela Buonanno (Pina Muras)
    Jeff Taliaferro (Graziano Nudda reading)

    Music
    Sa Melabrina Choir

    Conference hospitality provided by Proloco

    Oak Species of Sardinia - Quercus pubescens group
    Quercus dalechampii (Downy Oak)
    Quercus ichnusae
    Quercus congesta
    Quercus virgiliana

    Other Oak species in Sardinia
    Quercus ilex (Holm Oak)
    Quercus suber (Cork Oak)
    Quercus calliprinos
    Quercus morisi

    Theme Music
    "This Old Tree," Diccon Lee, www.deeleetree.com

    Artwork
    Dahn Hiuni, www.dahnhiuni.com/home

    Website
    thisoldtree.show
    Transcripts available.

    Follow on
    Facebook or Instagram

    This Old Tree podcast is a sponsored project of the New England Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture. To support This Old Tree and New England ISA, click here.

    We want to hear about the favorite tree in your life! To submit a ~4 or 5 minute audio story for consideration for an upcoming episode of "Tree Story Shorts" on This Old Tree, record the story on your phone’s voice memo app and email to:
    doug@thisoldtree.net

    This episode was written in part at LitArts RI, a community organization and co-working space that supports Rhode Island's creators.
    litartsri.org

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    1 h et 2 min
  • On Defense: Estonia's Stadium Oak
    Dec 31 2025

    In the small Estonian town of Orissaare, football players dribble around a 150-year-old oak tree standing impossibly in the middle of their soccer field or "stadium." What seems like a quirky local oddity became a symbol of national pride when this tree won the 2015 European Tree of the Year, beating much larger countries like Hungary, Spain, and the UK.

    How did an unknown Estonian oak outcompete all of Europe? The answer involves brilliant PR, ancient folklore, a fierce independence forged by centuries of foreign invasion, and a profound connection to forests rooted in animism. Could a tree resist the Soviets? Learn about its inspiring legend that captured the attention of tree-lovers around the world.

    Guests
    Aliide Naylor
    Journalist and Author
    London, UK
    The Shadow in the East: Vladimir Putin and the New Baltic Front
    aliidenaylor.com

    Heiki Hanso
    Arborist
    Orissaare, Estonia

    Andla Rüütel
    Manager, Orissaare Sports Hall
    Orissaare, Estonia

    Voiceover Reading for Andla Rüütel
    Martha Douglas-Osmundson
    LinkedIn Profile

    Songs (in order)
    "Saaremaa valss," Georg Ots
    "Ma vaatan paadist kiikriga," Boris Lehtlaan
    "Metsavendade laul (sõnadega) - Forest Brothers' Song," Untsakad
    "Isegi unes," Stig Rästa (permission from FAAR Music)

    Other References
    "The Favours of the Sacred Tree," Estonian Folk Tales: the Heavenly Wedding,
    Piret Paar and Anne Turnpu, authors, 2005.

    Silence of the Gods: The Untold History of Europe's Last Pagan Peoples, Francis Young, 2025.

    European Tree of the Year, Environmental Partnership Association

    Theme Music
    "This Old Tree," Diccon Lee, www.deeleetree.com

    Artwork
    Dahn Hiuni, www.dahnhiuni.com/home

    Website
    thisoldtree.show
    Transcripts available.

    Follow on
    Facebook or Instagram

    This Old Tree podcast is a sponsored project of the New England Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture. To support This Old Tree and New England ISA, click here.

    We want to hear about the favorite tree in your life! To submit a ~4 or 5 minute audio story for consideration for an upcoming episode of "Tree Story Shorts" on This Old Tree, record the story on your phone’s voice memo app and email to:
    doug@thisoldtree.net

    This episode was written in part at LitArts RI, a community organization and co-working space that supports Rhode Island's creators.
    litartsri.org

    Afficher plus Afficher moins
    1 h et 4 min
  • Arborists Live: Our Tree Stories
    Nov 27 2025

    What happens when six arborists come down from the trees to step behind the mic? Find out by listening to this special episode of stories by tree professionals told LIVE in front of an audience at the annual conference of the New England Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture.

    Where does the adrenaline come from? What barriers have been climbed? What drives them, ropes and harness in hand? Hear what arborists say about defining moments in their careers, their struggles, and what they love about their profession.

    Guests
    Heidi Shingleton
    Arborist
    Dirigo Tree Service
    Freeport, ME

    David Anderson
    Arborist
    Mayer Tree Service
    Essex, MA

    June Moulis
    Student, Urban Forestry and Arboriculture Concentration
    UMASS Amherst

    Tom Marino
    Certified Arborist
    SavATree
    Norwalk, CT

    Lindsay Watkins
    Strafford County Forester
    UNH Cooperative Extension
    Durham, NH

    Rich Cartier
    Northeast Territory Manager
    Rainbow Ecoscience
    Milford, MA

    Stories told on location at "The Canopy Connection: 2025 New England Chapter ISA Annual Conference and Trade Show," Southbridge, MA, October 7, 2025.

    Music
    "Not Long Now," Falconer

    Theme Music
    "This Old Tree," Diccon Lee, www.deeleetree.com

    Artwork
    Dahn Hiuni, www.dahnhiuni.com/home

    Website
    thisoldtree.show
    Transcripts available.

    Follow on
    Facebook or Instagram

    This Old Tree podcast is a sponsored project of the New England Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture. To support This Old Tree and New England ISA, click here.

    We want to hear about the favorite tree in your life! To submit a ~4 or 5 minute audio story for consideration for an upcoming episode of "Tree Story Shorts" on This Old Tree, record the story on your phone’s voice memo app and email to:
    doug@thisoldtree.net

    This episode was written in part at LitArts RI, a community organization and co-working space that supports Rhode Island's creators.
    litartsri.org

    Afficher plus Afficher moins
    1 h
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