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The foreword explains the book’s purpose: exploring how writers interpret tree form through a constrained sestude structure, connecting personal identity with living nature, and responding to climate emergency by promoting respect, conservation, and 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is the main purpose of The Understory?","Question",{"text":63,"@type":64},"It gathers poetic writing about trees created through a structured collaboration, highlighting the importance of trees for inspiration, conservation, and climate action.","Answer",{"name":66,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":67},"How were the writers grouped and how did they choose trees?",{"text":68,"@type":64},"The Core Group pairs writers with native UK trees, while the Explore Group invites writers to choose trees beyond that list from anywhere in the world.",{"name":70,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":71},"What writing form were the contributors asked to use?",{"text":72,"@type":64},"Each writer used a sestude, described as 26 in reflection and exactly 62 words, allowing diverse interpretations within a tight constraint.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":32,"og:type":75,"og:title":10,"og:site_name":45,"og:description":12},"article",{"robots":77,"canonical":32},"index,follow",{"doc_id":79,"site_id":7},435515,1791415343,{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":83},"success",{"doc_id":79,"user_id":84,"nickname":42,"user_avatar":85,"doc_module":4,"category_id":26,"category_name":29,"doc_title":10,"doc_description":12,"doc_content":86,"file_id":87,"file_url":88,"file_type":89,"file_size":90,"view_count":55,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":22,"is_downloadable":22,"audit_status":22,"page_count":91,"language":92,"language_code":8,"site_id":7,"html_lang":8,"table_of_contents":93,"faqs":94,"seo_title":95,"seo_description":12,"update_tm":96,"read_time":97},962090895452,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_a8503ba1806abce46bf441b54a3ca4cd","The Understory  \n52 sestudes on treesrs from  \nJENNI WALLACE |Illustration  \n# 4 Foreword\n\n6 Introduction  \n8 THE CORE GROUP  \n26 writers were randomlypaired with native trees fromdifferent regions of the UK.  \n34 THE EXPLORE GROUP  \n26 writers were invited tochoose a tree that meanssomething special to them,from any part of the world.  \nIve always loved trees,but never thought about why.Theyare always there,part of our lives.In recent times,I'vebecome more aware of my own ignorance,particularly asI was writing a novel,The Good Messenger,set in woods.The need to write about trees,and to be specific aboutthem,grew a desire to find out more.  \nA meeting with the Woodland Trust was fortuitous.Itopened up the opportunity to do something practical as Iproposed a project‘26 Trees'that would pair a writer from26 with a species of tree.The Woodland Trust respondedenthusiastically and here,almost magically less than a yearlater,is this book of poetic writing about trees.  \n26 is a membership collective of writers of many differentkinds.They are mainly people who earn their livingfrom writing in the business world.Projects such as thisstretch them creatively and offer the opportunity to workin partnership with an organisation they admire and toengage with a subject that inspires.  \nAnd what an inspiration trees have been.We invitedmembers to volunteer for the project and wereoverwhelmed by the response.As so many writersstepped forward,we decided to create two groups of 26participants,making 52 writers in all.  \nWriters in the 'Core'group were each paired with anative UK tree,and the writers were chosen to reflectthe national coverage of those trees.The 'Explore'groupwriters were free to choose trees outside that list.Aswriters in ‘Explore'reflect 26's international membership,there are trees represented from different parts of theworld.  \nThe form each writer was asked to use is the sestude.Thisis 26 in reflection-62 words exactly.Within that tightword constraint you will see that there is potential formany different interpretations of form.  \nThe writers'focus was trees,so they went into woods toembrace the principle of the Tree Charter:'to celebrate thepower of trees to inspire.'Through those visits,research,their own writing,they discovered more about trees -not least the need,in this climate emergency,to respect,conserve and plant trees for the sake of the world.  \nWe all became aware that trees are now constantly in thenews.While writing this foreword I read that the worldloses an area of forest the size of the UK every year.This isa real emergency,particularly obvious in the Amazon buthappening everywhere.We need to save trees and to planttrees.  \nOther news items interested me.I read that in Liverpooltheyve reopened Strawberry Field,with a new visitorcentre for those who want to visit the inspiration for JohnLennon's song.The article said that the trees Lennonclimbed in his childhood are still there.Imagine.Treesoutlive us,they remind us that we are just custodians forour short time on this earth.There's no need to imaginethe real news from Denmark on the same day-througha telethon the Danish public has raised the funds to plantone million trees.  \nEvery country needs to do the equivalent and trees mightbe the main means we have to combat climate change.Trees and people are allies.Perhaps the main feelingexperienced by all the writers involved was a sense ofconnection-with their tree,with other individuals,withthe planet,with their own identity.  \nPerhaps this is what the poet Lemn Sissay meant when hewrote in his recent autobiography about writing his firstpoem:\"In writing about the tree,I wrote about myself.\"  \nI commend this book to you.And I thank all the writerswho contributed to it and our partners at the WoodlandTrust who made it happen.  \nJOHN SIMMONS |Co-Founder of 26  \nMost of our lives unfold close to trees.Our journeysto work and the shops,our weekend walks,teenageromances and texted exchanges all take place under th","cbCaihzsFtOKJmTL","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaihzsFtOKJmTL","pdf",2102412,62,"English","# 4 Foreword\n## Introduction\n## The Core Group\n## The 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