Dr. Jared Farmer on how trees define our California history

Jared Farmer — an environmental historian and geohumanist, sometimes just called "the tree guy" — chronicles California's post-Gold Rush history through the evolution of four emblematic tree species: redwood, eucalyptus, orange, and palm. As they have changed, so have we. His observations remind us how what is perceived as natural is often just a jumble of cultural legacies.