On Change, Seasons, and the Companionship of Trees
Listen to this article: I’m grateful to say that, as well as a rather grey car park, during the year I spent in hospital, my window looked out onto a large oak tree. When I was first admitted its branches were bare, the first week of a cold April, yet to give way to fresh […]
Mother Tongue, Mother Nature: How Identity, Language and Environmental Knowledge are interlinked
Listen to this article: ‘Kaya’: a fortified settlement whose cultural spaces are indispensable for the enactment of living traditions that underscore the identity, continuity and cohesion of the Mijikenda communities. The Mijikenda is a group of nine Bantu-speaking ethnic groups in the Kaya forests of coastal Kenya, for whom performing arts related to the sacred […]
What We Gain from Giving: the Benefits of Mutualism
Listen to this article: The Limits of an Individualist Worldview Beneath the forest floor there is a complex network of life – fungal threads that weave through the soil and into plant roots, creating a web of connections between organisms. This allows water, nutrients, and chemical messages to flow and resources to be shared, a […]
Plant a Tree, Grow a Story: The Wood Wide Web of Literature
Listen to this article: Even before we discovered that trees communicate through underground fungal and root networks (the so-called ‘wood wide web’), authors were writing about trees not merely as an aesthetic choice, but as the centre of many canonical narratives. They offer shelter, provide comfort, and even become conduits for magic – think of […]
The Long-Term Roots of Change: Reflecting on a Year of Growth
Listen to this article: As I look back on the past twelve months, I realise how much can happen in a year. Some moments were filled with excitement and achievement, while others brought uncertainty, challenges, and deep reflection. Growth, I have learned, is rarely straightforward. It unfolds quietly through everyday experiences, small decisions, and the […]
Every Drop Counts: Water Stewardship in Our Kenyan Nursery
Listen to this article: Water has always been precious in the areas of Kenya where Word Forest works. This year, it has become critical. Across Coast Province, prolonged drought conditions are placing immense strain on communities, ecosystems and food systems. Rainfall has been erratic and insufficient, temperatures are high, and surface water sources are under […]
Britain’s First “Climate Action” Rose Launched by Historic Grower Harkness
Listen to this article: Harkness Rose partners with frontline reforestation charity in move that puts £2.50 from every bloom directly into tropical tree planting Sidmouth, February 26th, 2026: Harkness Roses, the 140-year-old British rose breeder, has launched what it’s calling “the first rose bred with climate action at its heart” – a vibrant orange floribunda […]
How Our Shade Net Sapling Nursery Grows Resilience in Kenya
Listen to this article: At Word Forest’s Permaculture Teaching Centre (PTC) in rural Kenya, we’ve invested in infrastructure that makes a direct difference to the success of our reforestation work: a shade net sapling nursery that gives young trees the best possible start in life. Thanks to generous support from UK donors, our nursery now […]
Word Forest is now on Mastodon
Listen to this article: Mastodon is a decentralised social network built around community, meaningful conversation and chronological feeds rather than algorithms. There are no adverts and no data-driven news feeds deciding what people see. Instead, it is shaped by people, shared values and genuine dialogue. That matters to us. As an international charity supporting communities […]