Katie Babic holds a wood carving of an ink-covered heart. She has begun to envision how her work might help to memorialize Vermont’s Ash trees, which are seriously threatened by the Emerald Ash Borer. Only about five percent of Vermont trees are Ash and the mortality rate for infested trees is almost 100 percent. “Perhaps I can use my art to be a voice for the trees,” says Babic, who since childhood has felt most grounded and centered in the forest. Photo by Erica Houskeeper.