Why This National Award for John Muir Climbs a Tree and Other Tree Tales Means So Much to Me

I recently received the 2026 Distinguished Achievement Award for Human Issues in Horticulture from the American Society for Horticultural Science. Presented by the ASHS Human Issues in Horticulture Professional Interest Group, the award recognizes John Muir Climbs a Tree and Other Tree Tales and its “multicultural exploration of the human experience with trees.”

That is quite a formal description. What it means to me is much simpler: the people reviewing the book understood why I wanted to bring these stories together in the first place.

I have spent nearly 50 years working with trees as an arborist and forestry consultant. Much of that work involved tree biology, plant health care, preservation, appraisals and the practical questions people face when a tree is growing near a home, road, school or construction project. But when you spend that many years talking with people about trees, you learn that the conversation rarely stays technical for long.

Ask someone whether they ever climbed a tree and you can almost see them travel back in time. Ask whether they ever fell out of one and you will often get an even better story. Even people who say they are not especially interested in trees usually remember one once you give them a few minutes.

I certainly do. When I was a youngster in Memphis, I climbed nearly every tree in my neighborhood except one enormous tulip poplar. It stood about 75 to 80 feet tall, and its first branch was roughly 35 feet above the ground. I never figured out how to get into that tree, and after all these years, I can still see it.

That is the kind of connection at the heart of John Muir Climbs a Tree and Other Tree Tales.

Putting together an anthology of 32 tree stories was a different kind of challenge. There was no instruction manual explaining which stories belonged together or how to arrange them, and I probably wrestled with their order more than anyone will ever know.

I placed John Muir’s “The Tree Ride” first partly because people who love trees usually know his name, but also because the story captures the spirit of the collection. Muir climbed into a towering Douglas fir during an 1874 windstorm because he wanted to experience what the tree experienced as the forest moved around him. It was a striking and unusual way to understand a tree, from inside the motion rather than safely observing it from the ground.

From there, the book travels through history, folklore, cultural traditions, childhood memories, and the natural world. Readers will encounter Jean Giono’s The Man Who Planted Trees, Robert Louis Stevenson’s A Night Among the Pines, and stories connected to John Appleseed, Daniel Boone, George Washington, and the Evangeline Oaks.

I contributed three pieces of my own: Spencer’s House, Dogwood Legends and A Trouble Tree. There is even a story called The Man Who Married a Branch. I have always said there is something for just about everybody in this book, and that chapter helps prove the point.

What makes this award especially meaningful is that ASHS recognized storytelling as a way to communicate horticulture. You can give someone facts about a tree, and they may learn something. Tell them a good story, and they may remember it.

A story can make someone look more closely at a tree in the yard, wonder who planted an old tree beside a road, or think about what a tree has witnessed during its lifetime. That curiosity can lead to a greater interest in tree biology, preservation, history, and stewardship.

My goal has always been to plant a few seeds of thought in people’s minds—that trees are about much more than pruning, climbing or appearance. They provide wildlife habitat and recreation. They hold family and community memories. They are renewable resources, historic markers, and living parts of the places we call home.

I am grateful to the American Society for Horticultural Science for recognizing that idea and the book built around it. I am proud of the award, but I will be even happier if it helps these stories find more readers.

If you enjoy trees, nature, history, folklore, unusual characters, or simply a good story, I hope you will take a look. John Muir Climbs a Tree and Other Tree Tales is available in hardcover, softcover, and e-book formats.

Order John Muir Climbs a Tree and Other Tree Tales

And after you have read a few stories, I hope you will ask yourself the same question I have asked people for years:

What tree has been part of your story? Comment below. I would love to hear it.

To stay connected with W. Jim Cortese or inquire about speaking opportunities, visit JimCortese.com or contact him at Ji*********@*****ok.com.

Readers can also explore Cortese’s recent media features in Real Simple, ArborTIMES, and The Pioneer Woman, or read an excerpt from John Muir Climbs a Tree and Other Tree Tales to experience the storytelling, history, and human connection at the heart of the book.