Richard St. Barbe Baker was an inspirational visionary and pioneering environmentalist who is credited with saving and planting billions of trees. He saved lives, too, through his ceaseless global campaign to raise the alarm about deforestation and desertification and by finding effective, culturally sensitive ways for people to contribute to a more peaceful and greener world.
Richard was a Bahá’í and met the Guardian during his visit to the Holy Land in 1929. Shoghi Effendi became a lifetime member of St. Barbe Baker’s environmental organization, Men of the Trees (later renamed International Tree Foundation), and they continued to correspond with each other through letters over the course of many years. Richard St. Barbe Baker traveled the world advocating for the importance of trees and helped establish planting projects everywhere he went. He also had encounters with great historical figures such as Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Prime Minister Nehru, and George Bernard Shaw.
With a foreword by Prince Charles of Wales and an introduction by Jane Goodall, this biography is sure to inspire environmentally-conscious readers everywhere.
“Why have we not heard of this extraordinary Man of the Trees, Richard St. Barbe Baker? He was, without doubt, one of the greatest advocates for the protection and restoration of forests ever. I am amazed by his life and accomplishments. He is one of my heroes.” — Jane Goodall
“St. Barbe Baker was among the first foresters to identify and celebrate the hidden life of trees. He described the forest as a ‘society of living things, the greatest of which is the tree.’ Proof of his keen observation of forest sociability is accumulating. We need more foresters who, like Baker, nurture a deep sensitivity and love for trees. This biography will inspire a new generation of tree lovers and forest protectors.” — Peter Wohlleben, author of The Hidden Life of Trees
"My friend and mentor Richard St. Barbe Baker was a genius at figuring out how to seamlessly integrate tree planting into the cultural DNA of millions of people from all walks of life and all corners of the globe. This book is part biography and part handbook for engaging a new generation in conserving and restoring the world’s forests." — Hugh Locke, President, Smallholder Farmers Alliance--Haiti
