Set in Argyll's breathtaking forests, the story revolves around the Ardcairn Estate, owned by the formidable American heiress Miss Lacelaw. The narrative intertwines themes of love and tragedy, with an ancient Douglas Fir known as the 'Family Tree' symbolizing the connections between characters through life, death, and rebirth.
Every country has its heritage trees old trees, wide trees, tall trees, weird and wonderful trees, and trees with historical and cultural significance. Scotland is blessed with an unusually rich heritage of such trees: perhaps the richest in the world. Just how rich was revealed in 2002, when Forestry Commission Scotland sponsored a Heritage Trees promotion on the internet. The public responded enthusiastically, so that an initial core of remarkable trees recorded by arboriculturalist Donald Rodger quickly grew to more than 100 as people suggested others.
The author recasts the widely accepted view of the tension between scientific understanding and use and builds a convincing case that by recognizing the importance of use-inspired basic research, we can frame a new contract between science and government.