UCHI’s Environmental Humanities Initiative Presents:
Branching Out: The Public History of Trees
Leah Glaser (Professor of History & Public History, Central Connecticut State University)
Thursday, October 15, 2026, 12:30pm, Humanities Institute Conference Room (HBL 4-209)
The event will also be livestreamed with automated captioning.
“Historic houses have more champions than old-growth trees.” So observed a neighbor as a century-old beech in Providence, RI, was removed to make way for the restoration of the historic house beside it. That story opens Branching Out: The Public History of Trees (University of Massachusetts Press, 2025), co-edited by Leah S. Glaser and Philip Levy. It also points to the broader question this talk will pose: how can we use public history to help people see trees as landmarks, memorials, and keepers of community stories and inspire them to become environmental champions for their care and protection?
Leah S. Glaser, PhD, is a Professor of History and Coordinator of the Public History Program at Central Connecticut State University. She has worked in the field of public history and historic preservation for the last thirty years, consulting with municipal, state, and federal agencies, including positions at the United States Bureau of Reclamation and the National Park Service. For the last twenty years, she has worked closely with the National Council on Public History to emphasize issues of environmental sustainability. These commitments are also reflected in her earlier books, Interpreting Energy at Museums and Historic Sites (2023) and Electrifying the Rural American West: Stories of Power, People, and Place (2009).
Access note
If you require accommodation to attend this event, please contact us at uchi@uconn.edu or by phone (860) 486-9057. We can request ASL interpretation, computer-assisted real time transcription, and other accommodations offered by the Center for Students with Disabilities. Requests should be made at least five business days in advance whenever possible.
Photography disclaimer
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