Our thirty-ninth tree, Alder (Alnus glutinosa). A tree designed for water; as strong as steel when submerged, alder timber has been keeping Venice from sinking for centuries. In the wild, our Alder provides homes for otters within its exposed root systems and can be found carpeted in the most verdant of mossy carpets. But more important than that, in cahoots with a bacterium, Alder fills our waterlogged and swampy soils with life-building nitrogen. This week’s episode was recorded with our host’s wellie-clad feet dangling in the Beaulieu river, in the heart of the New Forest. (Special thanks to Natalie Dormer for adding her voice to the Betjeman in this week’s episode, and to Hodder & Stoughton for giving us permission to do so.) More from David Oakes as he uproots the secrets and stories beneath the 56(ish) Native Trees of the British Isles can be found at: https://www.treesacrowd.fm/56Trees/

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