A World of Calm (2020) s01e05 Episode Script
Living Among Trees
1
[birds chirping]
[tranquil music]
[water trickling]
[soft scraping]
Reeves: This is a
story of a man in Latvia
who lives among trees.
Rihards' workshop is a treasure trove
of ancient woodland crafts.
[tapping]
Rooted in the natural world,
he knows the forest's many secrets
How all life here gently ebbs and flows.
Using only traditional tools,
he works to the slow and steady rhythm
of this world.
Rihards only takes a tree in winter
before the new growth of spring.
Since he was a boy, he's dreamt
about making a canoe from a single trunk.
Some fellow woodsmen
have gathered to help.
They're reviving a centuries-old design
that's almost disappeared.
He's so familiar with the tree's growth,
its grain.
It's like a conversation with a friend.
Rihards learned these
skills from his father
and passes them on to his son.
Absorbed in his craft
Patient and focused.
Rihards connects to a much slower time.
A time that trees live on.
[waves crashing softly]
[birds chirping]
Trees exist on their own timescale.
These California redwoods
are over 2,000 years old
Descended from an ancient forest
which covered the entire coast
millions of years ago,
long before we were here.
Redwoods have weathered droughts,
fires, and storms.
Almost ten times more genetically complex
than humans, they can adapt to survive.
These trees are monuments to endurance,
standing the test of time.
Living among trees
opens the path to working with wood.
[gentle music]
[fire crackling]
Rihards has left the trunk
for a week underwater to soften the wood.
He's mastered an art
with a beautiful name,
steam bending
Combining fire and
water to sculpt the wood
and forever change its shape.
He senses just how
much pressure to apply
And how much heat
before the hull begins to split.
Slowly, he coaxes the trunk to unfold.
It takes just hours to mold the wood,
but months for it to set.
No machines
just a skilled pair of hands
conversing with the tree.
Over time, we've come to understand
the language of trees.
Like us, trees like to keep in touch.
In the Colorado Rockies,
these aspens are
communicating with each other.
Above ground, they rise as individuals,
but below, they're all connected
to a vast, subterranean social network.
A single web of fungi
weaves in and out of their roots
and runs throughout the entire forest.
[woodpecker tapping]
Trees use it to send signals
Share nutrients
And pass messages to each other.
Mother trees nurture their saplings.
Healthy trees send
extra food to the sick.
Together, the forest works
as one for the good of all.
[soft music]
Rihards has discovered the magic
stored in a tree's roots.
He makes this tar from old pine trees.
At the end of their lives,
trees pump all of their
resin into their roots.
Rihards heats them up
to release the sticky, black gold
used to waterproof the canoe.
[blowtorch whooshing]
Tar is the essence of the forest
with its rich aroma and protective power.
It's a parting gift to the woodsman.
He takes only what he needs.
The forest always provides.
[birds chirping]
The forest yields another gift
to anyone who spends time there.
[birds cawing]
[indistinct chatter]
The Japanese call it shinrin-yoku.
Forest bathing.
It's nature's remedy.
As we walk among trees
We open up to them with all our senses.
They shower us with natural oils.
Our heart rate slows.
Blood pressure falls.
Trees naturally call
upon us to slow down
To stop and listen
To be in the moment.
Trees take care of us
as they take care of their own.
This is the wisdom of trees.
The life of a new boat begins.
An ancient tradition continues.
Rihards' story is now written in wood
Carried away by the water.
Living among trees.
[birds chirping]
[tranquil music]
[water trickling]
[soft scraping]
Reeves: This is a
story of a man in Latvia
who lives among trees.
Rihards' workshop is a treasure trove
of ancient woodland crafts.
[tapping]
Rooted in the natural world,
he knows the forest's many secrets
How all life here gently ebbs and flows.
Using only traditional tools,
he works to the slow and steady rhythm
of this world.
Rihards only takes a tree in winter
before the new growth of spring.
Since he was a boy, he's dreamt
about making a canoe from a single trunk.
Some fellow woodsmen
have gathered to help.
They're reviving a centuries-old design
that's almost disappeared.
He's so familiar with the tree's growth,
its grain.
It's like a conversation with a friend.
Rihards learned these
skills from his father
and passes them on to his son.
Absorbed in his craft
Patient and focused.
Rihards connects to a much slower time.
A time that trees live on.
[waves crashing softly]
[birds chirping]
Trees exist on their own timescale.
These California redwoods
are over 2,000 years old
Descended from an ancient forest
which covered the entire coast
millions of years ago,
long before we were here.
Redwoods have weathered droughts,
fires, and storms.
Almost ten times more genetically complex
than humans, they can adapt to survive.
These trees are monuments to endurance,
standing the test of time.
Living among trees
opens the path to working with wood.
[gentle music]
[fire crackling]
Rihards has left the trunk
for a week underwater to soften the wood.
He's mastered an art
with a beautiful name,
steam bending
Combining fire and
water to sculpt the wood
and forever change its shape.
He senses just how
much pressure to apply
And how much heat
before the hull begins to split.
Slowly, he coaxes the trunk to unfold.
It takes just hours to mold the wood,
but months for it to set.
No machines
just a skilled pair of hands
conversing with the tree.
Over time, we've come to understand
the language of trees.
Like us, trees like to keep in touch.
In the Colorado Rockies,
these aspens are
communicating with each other.
Above ground, they rise as individuals,
but below, they're all connected
to a vast, subterranean social network.
A single web of fungi
weaves in and out of their roots
and runs throughout the entire forest.
[woodpecker tapping]
Trees use it to send signals
Share nutrients
And pass messages to each other.
Mother trees nurture their saplings.
Healthy trees send
extra food to the sick.
Together, the forest works
as one for the good of all.
[soft music]
Rihards has discovered the magic
stored in a tree's roots.
He makes this tar from old pine trees.
At the end of their lives,
trees pump all of their
resin into their roots.
Rihards heats them up
to release the sticky, black gold
used to waterproof the canoe.
[blowtorch whooshing]
Tar is the essence of the forest
with its rich aroma and protective power.
It's a parting gift to the woodsman.
He takes only what he needs.
The forest always provides.
[birds chirping]
The forest yields another gift
to anyone who spends time there.
[birds cawing]
[indistinct chatter]
The Japanese call it shinrin-yoku.
Forest bathing.
It's nature's remedy.
As we walk among trees
We open up to them with all our senses.
They shower us with natural oils.
Our heart rate slows.
Blood pressure falls.
Trees naturally call
upon us to slow down
To stop and listen
To be in the moment.
Trees take care of us
as they take care of their own.
This is the wisdom of trees.
The life of a new boat begins.
An ancient tradition continues.
Rihards' story is now written in wood
Carried away by the water.
Living among trees.