David Oakes
The actor talks to us about his naturethemed podcast and affinity with trees.
What made you start the podcast?
I’ve always loved nature – indeed, the parts of acting I have enjoyed the most have often been the furrier ones: on horseback in The Pillars of the Earth or appearing with llamas in The Living and the Dead. Most of my artwork, my oldest hobby, has had a wildlife agenda, but my podcast, Trees a Crowd, has really allowed me to explore what a life truly committed to a natural pursuit would entail. I have considered the realities of life as a hill shepherd, like Amanda Owen, or a royal gardener, like Terry Gough.
Have you ever considered a naturalhistory career?
I loved biology at school. Looking back at my A-level choices, I wonder why I let it end there. I hope I’m making up for that now, and that I’m proof that one doesn’t need a natural-history career in order to commit time and passion to our natural world.
What interesting facts have you learned while doing the podcast?
Too many to list! But, Dr Ellinor Michel spoke of how mollusc shells preserve precise geological evidence of climatic conditions as they grow, like rings in a tree, meaning that fossils of ancient specimens’ shells are a time capsule containing records of Cretaceous climates. My Maldives special episode was accompanied by a large number of dives with dolphins, turtles and manta rays, so seeing first-hand what the marine biologists were telling me was extremely special. My initial guest, Mark Frith, talking of the age of oak trees, resonated with me hugely: they spend 300 years growing, 300 years maturing and 300 years dying.
You’ve recently become an ambassador for the Woodland Trust, tell us more.
As a child, my surname certainly fed an affinity with trees. I’ve always hugged trees and climbed trees, and I’ve been a member of the Woodland Trust for decades now. Trees and woodlands – those freshly planted or ancient – together with the entire bio-systems they support solve so many of the pressing problems facing modern humans. Leaving the obvious climate change benefits alone for a moment, simply taking the time to walk through a forest has proven mental health benefits. The Woodland Trust has been supporting all aspects of our wooded friends for so long now; their roots run deep and noble. I have such respect for everyone who works for them, and their recognition of the plentiful reasons to let more trees into our lives. As the Chinese proverb says: the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second-best time is now.