Rob MacKenzie adds, “The oak is the queen of her domain,” pointing to a gigantic that towers over us. Long before he or I ever set foot on the planet, this oak tree was standing in this exact location.
MacKenzie, the head of the Birmingham University Institute of Forest Research and an atmospheric scientist, takes me deeper into this little area of woods in Staffordshire, England, in the early winter.
The snow crunches beneath his feet as he moves steadily along the route. A few birds brave the cold to sing to one another across the woodland as the low winter sun produces lengthy shadows. The last of the autumn leaves fall to the ground, landing in nets rather than on the ground. Because this forest isn’t your typical one.
