The Once and Future Oak Ecosystems: Restoring the Culture - Tyler Bassett & Tom Small

Oak trees and ecosystems have been the subject of many books in the past few years, including the most recent book by our friend and mentor Doug Tallamy, The Nature of Oaks. In this presentation Tyler Bassett focuses on the natural history of oak ecosystems in our area, and Tom Small follows up with a brief survey of the important role oaks have played in our cultural history, from ancient times to the present.
Both Tyler and Tom emphasize the importance of preserving and restoring the degraded oak ecosystems that once dominated southern Michigan. Tyler shows us the dangers and challenges that face us, some regional restoration projects that are now under way, and some ways Wild Ones can contribute both regionally and in our own yards.
Tom talks about how loss of a time-honored way of seeing and relating to oak trees and oak woodlands has contributed to our loss of both oak ecosystems and a restorative way of life. He suggests that revival of this lost culture is still possible because it survives not only in Native American cultures but also in the 200-year cultural history of our own community, Kalamazoo.
Tyler Bassett is a botanist and plant ecologist with Michigan Natural Features Inventory. His special passion is for understanding and restoring the fragmented prairie-savanna landscapes of the upper Midwest. He holds a B.S. in Biology from Western Michigan University, and a PhD in Plant Biology, Ecology, and Evolutionary Biology from Michigan State University.
Tom Small is co-founder of the Kalamazoo Area Chapter of Wild Ones and co-author of Using Native Plants to Restore Community, now in its fifth printing. His B.A. is from Pomona College, M.A. from University of Colorado, and Ph.D. from University of California, Berkeley. He is emeritus Professor of English, Western Michigan University
February 23, 2022 presentation to Kalamazoo Area chapter of Wild Ones, Kalamazoo, MI