Tom Kimmerer, PhD
@tomkimmerer.bsky.social
I am a forest scientist, botanist, tree physiologist writing about relationships between trees and humans including climate change. A Fulbright Scholar, Author of Venerable Trees and books in progress. Read about trees here: https://ourtrees.substack.com.
Coffee and Chocolate
This is the next in our holiday trees series at Our Trees. I hope you will read the story, and your comments are welcome.
This is the next in our holiday trees series at Our Trees. I hope you will read the story, and your comments are welcome.
Coffee and Chocolate
Making good choices for the future.
open.substack.com
November 23, 2025 at 9:44 PM
Coffee and Chocolate
This is the next in our holiday trees series at Our Trees. I hope you will read the story, and your comments are welcome.
This is the next in our holiday trees series at Our Trees. I hope you will read the story, and your comments are welcome.
Asher Elbein, a fine science journalist, has had a prolific year of good writing. Here are his favorite storie. They are worth your time to dive into.
Recently finished up my last freelance work of the year before moving on to a mad sprint of book writing, so —rather earlier than usual — it's time for my year in review! Here, in no particular order, are the features I'm proudest of.
November 21, 2025 at 1:30 PM
Asher Elbein, a fine science journalist, has had a prolific year of good writing. Here are his favorite storie. They are worth your time to dive into.
School is closed for at least part of next week, so you may be able to recruit a few good mathematicians for your quantitative work like, for example, dendrochronology. Just be sure to pay them well.
Tom Kimmerer (@tomkimmerer)
School is closed for at least part of next week, so you may be able to recruit a few good mathematicians for your quantitative work like, for example, dendrochronology. Just be sure to pay them well. ...
substack.com
November 20, 2025 at 11:33 PM
School is closed for at least part of next week, so you may be able to recruit a few good mathematicians for your quantitative work like, for example, dendrochronology. Just be sure to pay them well.
You are probably aware of the global loss of biodiversity. It is happening right in front of us, and many of us don't notice. Here is a magnificent white ash that is now gone. There are things we can do to stop the invasion of foreign insects and diseases that kill our trees. More at Our Trees.
Tom Kimmerer (@tomkimmerer)
You have probably heard about threats to biodiversity — to the number and diversity of organisms in our ecosystems — but how aware are you that it is happening right in front of us? Ash trees (Fraxinu...
substack.com
November 20, 2025 at 4:35 PM
You are probably aware of the global loss of biodiversity. It is happening right in front of us, and many of us don't notice. Here is a magnificent white ash that is now gone. There are things we can do to stop the invasion of foreign insects and diseases that kill our trees. More at Our Trees.
Join us at Our Trees as we begin an exploration of the trees we use during these holidays, including some that may be threatened or endangered. Until December 15, we offer you a 30% discount on monthly or annual subscriptions to everything that Our Trees has to offer.
Tom Kimmerer (@tomkimmerer)
Come join us as we begin our exploration of the trees we use during these holidays, including some that may be threatened or endangered. This series will continuue until December 15. And during this p...
substack.com
November 17, 2025 at 12:31 AM
Join us at Our Trees as we begin an exploration of the trees we use during these holidays, including some that may be threatened or endangered. Until December 15, we offer you a 30% discount on monthly or annual subscriptions to everything that Our Trees has to offer.
This famous cartoon by my friend Joel Pett tells us what we need to know while the current climate conference, COPE 30, is dominated by fossil fuel lobbyists. We have it in our power to defeat the fossil fuel oligarchs and their pet politicians. By doing so, we can create a much better world.
Tom Kimmerer (@tomkimmerer)
The climate conference known as COPE30 is under way in Brazil. The conference is dominated by oil industry lobbyists whose goal is to continue to stall progress. This cartoon by my friend Joel Pett is...
substack.com
November 15, 2025 at 4:27 PM
This famous cartoon by my friend Joel Pett tells us what we need to know while the current climate conference, COPE 30, is dominated by fossil fuel lobbyists. We have it in our power to defeat the fossil fuel oligarchs and their pet politicians. By doing so, we can create a much better world.
Farewell pennies. I have fond memories of pennies in threes. At my elementary school, lunch was free but a 1/2 pint of milk was 3¢. And is it really lunch without milk? My classmates and I carried a few extra pennies in our pockets so that kids who lacked pennies could get their milk too.
November 14, 2025 at 4:38 PM
Farewell pennies. I have fond memories of pennies in threes. At my elementary school, lunch was free but a 1/2 pint of milk was 3¢. And is it really lunch without milk? My classmates and I carried a few extra pennies in our pockets so that kids who lacked pennies could get their milk too.
Among the large variety of trees we use during the holidays, for decoration and for food, many are threatened or endangered. At Our Trees, we are beginning a series on using these trees. Come join us.
Tom Kimmerer (@tomkimmerer)
We have been discussing the many tree products we use during the holidays, from Christmas trees to spices. Surprisingly, many of these trees are endangered or at risk of extinction, including those sh...
substack.com
November 13, 2025 at 7:47 PM
Among the large variety of trees we use during the holidays, for decoration and for food, many are threatened or endangered. At Our Trees, we are beginning a series on using these trees. Come join us.
What is your favorite Christmas tree? I have loved fir, various Abies species, since I was a kid. Fraser fir is a very popular tree in the east and is actually an endangered species. Favorite trees often reflect on our childhood experience. Please, tell us yours.
Tom Kimmerer (@tomkimmerer)
What is your favorite Christmas tree? For many of us, it is the tree we were familiar with as kids. For me, that means fir, various species of Abies. In the eastern US, Fraser fir is a common Christma...
substack.com
November 12, 2025 at 2:57 PM
What is your favorite Christmas tree? I have loved fir, various Abies species, since I was a kid. Fraser fir is a very popular tree in the east and is actually an endangered species. Favorite trees often reflect on our childhood experience. Please, tell us yours.
Artists often struggle to represent trees accurately in their work. Fortunately, Leonardo da Vinci showed us how to represent trees. See what he taught us at Our Trees.
Tom Kimmerer (@tomkimmerer)
Artists often struggle to represent trees in a way that looks real. Fortunately, Leonardo da Vinci explained how to represent trees in a way that is true to their nature. He noted, in a series of sket...
substack.com
November 11, 2025 at 10:43 PM
Artists often struggle to represent trees accurately in their work. Fortunately, Leonardo da Vinci showed us how to represent trees. See what he taught us at Our Trees.
Choosing a tree for our homes is one of the joys of the holidays. Here is some guidance about our choices.
Trees for the Holidays
Fetching our Christmas tree was one of the delights of my childhood.
open.substack.com
November 11, 2025 at 8:19 PM
Choosing a tree for our homes is one of the joys of the holidays. Here is some guidance about our choices.
Last night, I watched one of the best nature videos I have ever seen, from Cornell Lab of Ornithology. I have been in love with hornbills since I lived in Indonesia and Malaysia and saw them every time I went out in the jungle.
You really owe it to yourself to watch this.
You really owe it to yourself to watch this.
Islands of the Hornbills
YouTube video by Cornell Lab of Ornithology
www.youtube.com
November 9, 2025 at 4:11 PM
Last night, I watched one of the best nature videos I have ever seen, from Cornell Lab of Ornithology. I have been in love with hornbills since I lived in Indonesia and Malaysia and saw them every time I went out in the jungle.
You really owe it to yourself to watch this.
You really owe it to yourself to watch this.
When I introduce pine nuts, I get three reactions: Oh, I love them; I heard of them but haven't tried them; or what's a pine nut? Find out more at Our Trees.
Tom Kimmerer (@tomkimmerer)
Pine nuts are among the tastiest and most expensive of all nuts. Except that they are seeds not nuts. Pine nuts have an unusual flavor and texture, most people either like them a lot or not at all. Th...
substack.com
November 7, 2025 at 6:32 PM
When I introduce pine nuts, I get three reactions: Oh, I love them; I heard of them but haven't tried them; or what's a pine nut? Find out more at Our Trees.
Our discussion about hazelnuts yesterday reminds me of the very peculiar mutant hazel known as Harry Lauder's Walking Stick. The story at Our Trees tells us why.
Tom Kimmerer (@tomkimmerer)
As a tree biologist, I find odd trees fascinating, especially trees that are shaped differently from others. Sometimes this is due to single-gene mutations. Weeping willows, for example, simply have a...
substack.com
November 6, 2025 at 4:23 PM
Our discussion about hazelnuts yesterday reminds me of the very peculiar mutant hazel known as Harry Lauder's Walking Stick. The story at Our Trees tells us why.
Black walnuts are a North American tree that produces the most delicious nuts of all our tres. Getting the nutmeat out of the fruit is infuriatingly difficult, but there are easier ways to obtain them. More at Our Trees.
Tom Kimmerer (@tomkimmerer)
Black walnut trees, Jugulans nigra, are abundant in much of North America. They are large, distinct trees highly valued for their wood. They bear some of the most delicious but infuriating nuts of an...
substack.com
November 5, 2025 at 3:50 PM
Black walnuts are a North American tree that produces the most delicious nuts of all our tres. Getting the nutmeat out of the fruit is infuriatingly difficult, but there are easier ways to obtain them. More at Our Trees.
Hazelnuts, like pecans, are a great choice for nuts compared with almonds. Grown mostly in the Willamette Valley of Oregon, they are a sustainable crop that uses little irrigation water. And they are delicious. This holiday season, put pecans and hazelnuts on your table and in your kitchen.
Tom Kimmerer (@tomkimmerer)
Hazelnuts are worthy complements to pecans. Today 99%(!) of US hazelnuts are grown in 8 counties of the Willamette Valley in Oregon. The valley provides perfect growing condions, with good soil and ad...
substack.com
November 4, 2025 at 3:20 PM
Hazelnuts, like pecans, are a great choice for nuts compared with almonds. Grown mostly in the Willamette Valley of Oregon, they are a sustainable crop that uses little irrigation water. And they are delicious. This holiday season, put pecans and hazelnuts on your table and in your kitchen.
Consumer choice can play a substantial role in mitigating the climate and biodiversity crises. One important decision is to choose pecans over almonds. Read more at Our Trees.
Tom Kimmerer (@tomkimmerer)
The simultaneous crises of climate change and biodiversity loss have to be addressed at the national and international level, but consumer choice can shift markets in a positive direction. Let’s consi...
substack.com
November 3, 2025 at 5:09 PM
Consumer choice can play a substantial role in mitigating the climate and biodiversity crises. One important decision is to choose pecans over almonds. Read more at Our Trees.
Frankincense and myrrh feature prominently in many religious occassions, including the visit of the Three Wise Men to the Baby Jesus. Read about these amazing tree products at Our Trees.
Tom Kimmerer (@tomkimmerer)
The Three Wise Men brought frankincense and myrrh across vast distances to celebrate the birth of Christ. They also brought gold, which was less valuable.
The dry season in Sudan has begun, so the yo...
substack.com
November 2, 2025 at 8:14 PM
Frankincense and myrrh feature prominently in many religious occassions, including the visit of the Three Wise Men to the Baby Jesus. Read about these amazing tree products at Our Trees.
During the festive period, we use an amazing variety of tree products, ranging from Christmas trees to frankincense. At Our Trees, we will be discussing many of these materials. One that we use a lot of without knowing it is gum arabic, harvested from wild trees and used in a lot of prepared foods.
Tom Kimmerer (@tomkimmerer)
The last two months of the year are filled with festivities. As part of our celebrations, we use a tremendous number of tree products. Some are obvious - Christmas trees, frankincense, cinnamon. Other...
substack.com
November 1, 2025 at 4:51 PM
During the festive period, we use an amazing variety of tree products, ranging from Christmas trees to frankincense. At Our Trees, we will be discussing many of these materials. One that we use a lot of without knowing it is gum arabic, harvested from wild trees and used in a lot of prepared foods.
A beautiful red fir, Abies magnifica, is on a truck making its way from Nevada to Washington to become the US Capitol Christmas Tree, the people's tree at the Capitol, not the white house tree which is not accessible to the public. Learn about its origin and journey at Our Trees.
Tom Kimmerer (@tomkimmerer)
High in the thin cold air of the eastern Sierra Nevada is a band of red fir, Abies magnifica. This year, a beautiful 53 ft. red fir in the Carson Ranger District in Nevada was selected as the US Capit...
substack.com
October 30, 2025 at 5:27 PM
A beautiful red fir, Abies magnifica, is on a truck making its way from Nevada to Washington to become the US Capitol Christmas Tree, the people's tree at the Capitol, not the white house tree which is not accessible to the public. Learn about its origin and journey at Our Trees.
Here is a love story set in the jungles of Southeast Asia. I hope you enjoy it.
Tom Kimmerer (@tomkimmerer)
Here is a love story set in the jungles of Asia. There are a couple of very good videos at the end. This is longer than usual. Please let us know if you like it.
substack.com
October 29, 2025 at 5:52 PM
Here is a love story set in the jungles of Southeast Asia. I hope you enjoy it.
One of my readers asked me whether, in addition to explaining the science of trees, I also hug them. Yes, I do.
Tom Kimmerer (@tomkimmerer)
One of my loyal readers sent me a note asking if I hug trees. They said “you write interesting stories about trees and the science of trees, but you don’t say much about your personal relationship wi...
substack.com
October 28, 2025 at 4:59 PM
One of my readers asked me whether, in addition to explaining the science of trees, I also hug them. Yes, I do.
Are you going to bring some poop-twig into your home this winter? Before you say “of course not,” answer this: will you bring some mistletoe into your home? Mistletoe means poop-twig! Find out more in our Sunday Tree story.
Sunday Tree: Mistletoe
Mistletoes are parasitic shrubs that grow in the branches of trees
open.substack.com
October 27, 2025 at 2:20 PM
Are you going to bring some poop-twig into your home this winter? Before you say “of course not,” answer this: will you bring some mistletoe into your home? Mistletoe means poop-twig! Find out more in our Sunday Tree story.
As the leaves disappear from our trees, we can suddenly notice an abundance of what look like green shrubs growing in many trees. These are mistletoes, plants with an important role in our Christmas celebrations, but a far more important ecological role in forests all over the world.
Tom Kimmerer (@tomkimmerer)
As the leaves disappear from our trees, we can suddenly notice an abundance of what look like green shrubs growing in many trees. They are very abundant in the Bluegrass where I live. These are mistle...
substack.com
October 26, 2025 at 10:06 PM
As the leaves disappear from our trees, we can suddenly notice an abundance of what look like green shrubs growing in many trees. These are mistletoes, plants with an important role in our Christmas celebrations, but a far more important ecological role in forests all over the world.
What do mistletoe and gibbons have in common? Both are featured in the coming week on Our Trees, mistletoe on Sunday, gibbons on Tuesday. Please join us then!
Tom Kimmerer (@tomkimmerer)
Our Trees will feature mistletoe on Sunday and gibbons on Tuesday.
Sunday Tree is about an important holiday plant, mistletoe. Mistletoe is common in the south, but we only notice it when the leaves ...
substack.com
October 25, 2025 at 5:29 PM
What do mistletoe and gibbons have in common? Both are featured in the coming week on Our Trees, mistletoe on Sunday, gibbons on Tuesday. Please join us then!