An Olfactory (Re)Connection With Trees

A book that’s inspiring me to (re)connect with what’s right in front of me.

This summer I finally got around to organizing the vast collection of books in my library. I’m old school, I love a physical book. I keep trying to go digital, but it’s just not the same. I firmly believe it’s the smell of the paper with each turn of the page that draws me in. I admit the paper used today isn’t the same as it once was, but I’ll save that conversation for another day because I have thoughts, lots of thoughts, on that subject, too! 

Needless to say, the books have been piling up for a while now and I’d lost sight of some of the treasures I’ve collected over time. One of those books, which I want to touch on today, is Thirteen Ways To Smell A Tree by David George Haskell. 

What a book! I can’t recommend it enough. While somewhat hard to describe, essentially it’s 13 essays on the smellscapes of different trees. The author cleverly awakens our olfactory memory by reminding us of how much our lives are intertwined with the wonder of trees.

But what the book really confirms is the everlasting value of trees in our daily lives and how gravely disconnected we are from them. There’s actually a formal term for it, plant awareness disparity (PAD, formerly plant blindness), which centers on the idea that we humans tend not to notice, or appreciate, the trees (plants) in our everyday environment. And this often leads to naïve points of view, such as that they’re not important, or don’t do anything for us.

In effect, we’re consciously disconnected from trees, yet aromatically always connected to them. 

Case in point, try this little exercise with me… Look around you right now, and let’s think about how much trees do for us. I’ll share what I’m seeing as an example. 

I’m drinking green tea. Green tea comes from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis tree, a tea plant believed to be native to East Asia, and today cultivated all around the world. → The aroma is delicate, grassy and earthy. 

A small bowl of cashew nuts sits on my desk. The nuts come from the cashew tree, Anacardium occidentale, which is a tropical evergreen tree native to South America. → The smell is salty, roasted, rich, and slightly woody.

I’ve got a notebook and pencil next to my computer. A little google search reveals that most pencils today are made from the incense cedar tree (Calocedrus decurrens). Notebook paper is made from wood pulp, which is derived from a variety of different trees including softwoods like spruce, pine, fir, larch, and hemlock, as well as hardwoods like eucalyptus, aspen, and birch. → The smell of the sharpened pencil is dry, woody, somewhat hay-like, and matte. Sadly, the notebook reveals no detectable odor, only the freshly pressed pen ink emits a slightly metallic note.

There’s a wooden cabinet in front of my desk. It’s made of reclaimed cedarwood (not sure what kind exactly). → A close-up sniff reveals just the slightest smell of distress and decay. 

I’m sitting on a wooden chair, at a wooden desk. Again, I don’t know what kind (see how bad that is that I don’t know this, yikes!). → The furniture has been so heavily processed and lacquered that no odor remains. 

There’s a tissue box on my desk. Here, too, a little google search reveals tissues are made of processed wood pulp from softwood (pine and spruce) and hardwood trees (eucalyptus, oak, and maple). → Placing a tissue to my nose, the smell is faintly dry, woody, hay-like, and smooth. 

I also have a calendar on my desk. The paper, naturally (pun intended), derives from trees. → Mournfully, not much of an odor can be detected. 

And then there are the scent strips for scent evaluations spread across my desk. The strips are made of wood pulp, and also bleached. → Purposefully, there’s no odor so evaluations can focus on the applied scent. 

I could go on and on - those are just 9 things made of trees in my immediate vicinity - but you get the point. Trees matter and we need to appreciate them more. And we can do that simply by connecting through smelling. 

So, I invite you to not only see the everyday things around you that are directly derived from trees, but to also smell them to be reminded of how much we emotionally connect to them. 

Let me know what you discover. I always love to hear. Leave your thoughts in the comments so we can share as a community.

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My podcast, An Aromatic Life, is back! And what a special conversation to kick us off right.

In this latest episode, I’m speaking with animistic perfumer Mauricio Garcia on the spiritual and magical parts of Perfumery.

We talk about so many important topics including the societal disconnect from Nature and the need to return to a more symbiotic relationship with Mother Earth. 

Mauricio explains what he believes our role and connection to Nature is, and shares what he means by the “botanical power of fragrance.” 

We discuss the more subtle, intuitive meaning of spirituality, non-religious spiritual systems, and why perfume creation is such a spiritual (and magical) process. 

Importantly, Mauricio tells me about The Coalition of Sustainable Perfumery he co-created, which aims to be a hub and conversation starter for thoughtful and intentional Perfumery. 

I promise you this conversation will fill you with joy and inspiration for a side of Perfumery that’s not often talked about.

Enjoy this episode and many more on Apple podcast, Spotify, Amazon Music, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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“The Children’s Book That Meets The Moment”

There is no more urgent time than now. Biodiversity is in crisis, there's a lack of green space from urbanization, Nature-deficit disorder is rising, cultural sustainability is highly threatened, and our sense of smell continues to be ignored from an early age.

The good news?

Children intuitively understand we are part of the natural world. And they instinctively use their senses to explore. They’re naturally curious and are filled with wonder. This story connects both the adult reader and the young child with those emotions.

If you have children ages 3-5 years old in your life, this book animates them to become stewards of the plants, passionate ambassadors for the natural world, and active smellers.

The hardcover, paperback, and e-book are available for purchase globally on Amazon, Walmart, and Barnes & Noble.