The book 'Wise Trees' showcases ancient trees from around the world

“What trees do in their own quiet way is allow us to think about scale,” writes Verlyn Klinkenborg in the introduction to “Wise Trees” (Abrams, $40). “In our world, we’re dwarfed, outlasted, even humbled by trees. What little modesty we have as a species may depend partly on that fact.”

The culmination...