‘The Trees Have Stories to Share’ by David de Rothschild
6 minute read
Forests always provide a great place to enjoy a moment of reflection and connect with nature. But what if nature contacted you directly to share how it’s doing? What would it be like to have a mighty Fir tree convey first-person stories about its life, its feelings, and its messages for all of us?
Ecologist, activist, and global citizen David de Rothschild answered the call when nature reached out, and the conversation was unlike anything he had experienced before.
When the forest speaks
David de Rothschild has explored and reported from nearly every corner of the globe. From scorching deserts and snow-capped mountains to oceans and sprawling urban jungles, he has made it his mission to demonstrate how interconnected we all are with the environment around us and how sustainability and progress can create harmonious bonds.
Perhaps nowhere does David de Rothschild feel more in tune with nature than in forests. Here, he shares his deep attachment to these unique ecosystems and the biodiversity made possible by the one essential and life-giving organism that no forest can go without – trees.
Walking the Forest in David’s Footsteps
Here, David reflects in his own words on how forests shaped his understanding of our relationship with nature.
Nothing compares to sleeping in a forest, surrounded by life’s raw diversity. Years ago, I spent a month in the Amazon creating sculptures with local communities to honor species threatened by the Belo Monte Dam. At first, the heat and movement were overwhelming, but soon, the forest began to guide me. Not metaphorically, but instinctively. I felt more alive. Rewilded.
That experience reminded me we’re not just visitors in nature - we’re part of it. Forests speak in stillness louder than cities in noise. Nature is not just scenery, it’s home. It’s our teacher, our shared past, and our path forward. All we have to do is listen.
Tree Correspondents Campaign
As a National Geographic Explorer, I’ve spent 20 years seeking answers across the planet, from sailing the Pacific on a plastic bottle boat to skiing polar deserts. Yet, I keep returning to the forests to learn.
That’s why I was especially drawn to Hyundai’s Tree Correspondents Campaign. Tree Correspondents is an AI-driven campaign that lets trees speak through real-time ecological data, giving them something every storyteller needs a voice. It transforms science into soul and data into dialogue, bridging the gap between nature and humanity in a beautiful and unexpected way.
If you re curious about how this all comes together - both technically and creatively - you can explore the full campaign manifesto article here.
What’s on a tree’s mind
The experience of hearing a tree correspondent’s own story was overwhelming. When I read the first messages from a Juçara tree in Brazil, a Fir tree in Czechia, and a Tulip tree in Korea, I found myself unexpectedly emotional. These weren’t merely clever marketing devices; they were intimate dispatches from life forms we walk by every day and rarely take notice of. Their stories are poignant and align with the environmental discussion we need to have. Listening to them, I began to see themes like climate change in a much more personal light. Because when a tree speaks, it reminds us we’ve been silent for too long.
Data’s poetic side
All too often, we measure environmentalism in terms of facts, figures, and fear. However, data alone seldom changes hearts or inspires action. The numbers remain abstract and analytical. Yet, when data takes on a personal and narrative role, the conversation shifts. This is what the Tree correspondents Campaign so elegantly achieves. By bridging the emotional distance between people and nature, it speaks to us not in conceptual terms like ‘climate change’ but as a committed partner whose future is intertwined with our own.
Trees that stand up for their rights
The Tree Correspondents Campaign brings us closer to a vision where nature isn’t merely a backdrop, but an active participant. When we treat nature as a stakeholder rather than just scenery, everything changes – from policies to perspectives. The campaign also aligns with the Voice for Nature Foundation, whose guiding principle is to give nature a voice in decisions that affect us all, ensuring that ecosystems are not only protected but also represented, respected, and included in our systems of governance.
A different communication branch
Giving trees a voice through AI interpretation is an engaging yet poignant way of offering a different environmental narrative. But what if that were only the beginning? Imagine if nature could talk to us up close and unfiltered. What might it say?
"It feels like just yesterday when we walked side by side. Then, something changed. You stopped listening. You must relearn how to hear." Go ReWild yourself.
Now is the time
What makes the Tree Correspondents Campaign so remarkable (aside from storytelling trees) is that it invites interaction and introspection in a new and thought-provoking way. Their stories remind us to see nature from a different perspective, where trees are communities, not commodities. Where their value as sentient organisms is greater than the price of their lumber. Forests are not just the lungs of the planet – they are also its conscience, memory, and future. Protecting them goes beyond carbon credits or endangered species; it’s about safeguarding the ancient wisdom we and the trees share.
My message to the next generation is simple: Go outside and sit under a tree. Turn off your phone. Breathe in. Breathe out. Tune in to the frequency of the trees. Because the world we shape tomorrow depends on how well we listen today.
Planting progress
At Hyundai, we are committed to continuously advancing our environmental initiatives. Whether it’s incorporating recycled ocean plastic into our vehicle production, championing hydrogen energy, or reforestation through our IONIQ Forest initiative, we will continue to add new pages to our commitment to progress for humanity.
Our Tree Correspondents Campaign is just one new chapter.
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