The tale of how Forests Without Frontiers came to be is beautifully brought to life in a new podcast featuring founder Nicoleta Carpineanu.

Give it a listen – it’s a great piece of storytelling, seamlessly weaving music and insightful chat, created by Elemental Journeys producer, Matt Coldrick. Forests Without Frontiers caught up with him for a little lockdown conversation…

Elemental Journeys is a podcast you’re just launching – what’s the idea behind it?

To paraphrase the great anthropologist Gregory Bateson, “all of humanity’s problems come down to the fact that nature works in one way and we think in another.” So my idea is to look at humanity’s relationship with the natural world and how we can be better, how can we think like nature – because we are nature.

The indigenous relationship with the land is so different from the Western world’s – we are so divorced from nature. My plan is to tell stories to remind us of this connection and counterbalance the product-driven, consumerist narratives that are so prevalent in today’s media.

Matt Coldrick - Elemental Journeys

Nicoleta Carpineanu in the Carpathian Mountains

What makes Forests Without Frontiers a good subject for the first podcast?

It’s a fantastic initiative – I’ve learnt about the importance of the Carpathian and Romanian forests in terms of climate change and habitat renewal, community and eldership. The future of humanity rests with the indigenous wisdom of the planet – and FWF adheres to this philosophy and is supporting the elders in the forests, too.

My background is in music, and music is at the heart of FWF, it’s how the organisation started – and the podcast features Nico’s debut album ‘Be one’ , with traditional, local musicians.

The money from the album went to plant oak trees. Music is such a powerful tool for sharing information. It transcends boundaries, brings people together from disparate backgrounds and has always been a part of storytelling.

I wanted to do something connected to tree-planting – I had taken a lot of longhaul flights and was aware of my carbon footprint but didn’t want to just offset. And then I met Nicoleta at the Little Chill festival last summer and it made sense to tell the Forests Without Frontiers’ story as it really resonated with me.

Oak tree in the pastures next to our Cobor Farm plantation

Have you always had an affinity for the natural world?

Yes. My grandfather was a gamekeeper on an estate in Somerset. He died when I was quite young but the few conscious years we spent together were a rite of passage for me and since then my connection to land, plants, trees and animals has been one of spiritual wonder. I have a distinct memory of sitting with him by a clear water mill pond near his house, watching trout. A kingfisher flew by and several dragonflies hovered in front of us. It’s a vision of deep contentedness for me and kingfishers and dragonflies are sacred to me and seem to visit or appear at key moments.

Any favourite forests?

Parts of the Mendips in Somerset feel comforting and magical to me, though it’s more woodland than forest. We often arrived at my grandparents towards dusk and as we approached a large area of Mendip woodland would be lit up by the setting sun. I'd feel a sense of awe and excitement when I saw those trees. I love the land in that area.

And any favourite trees?

Oaks and yews are special species to me. Oak trees for the strength and heart they represent, yews for their mystical, slightly saturnine association. Oaks are steady, cheery and friendly. Yew trees more serious and powerful. But there are a phenomenal number of species and we are only just starting to learn how important trees are to the health of the planet on so many levels. So we must look after them and the people who know the most about them and we must keep on planting.

Elemental Journeys Episode 1 Matt talks to Nico about her off-grid childhood in Ceaușescu's Romania, and the influences and motivations behind the tree planting initiatives she and her team have pioneered in the Romanian Carpathian Forests. Links to Nico's music in this podcast : https://linktr.ee/nicodetransilvania Songs featured : Neil Cowley & Ben Lukas Boysen - Solitary Refinement. Nico de Transilvania - Mesajul lui Iordache Susorile Osoianu - Trece Un Nouras pe sous Susorile Osoianu - Ciobanelul Nico de Transilvania - Doina feat. Abstract Source, Buna Ana & Oprit Nico de Transilvania - Trece Doru Nico de Transilvania - Ciuleandra feat. Fluieras&ii & Andra Covaleov Unknown Carpathian - traditional song. Disclaimer: We do not own or claim copyright on any of this material which is the sole property of the artists .