Sa Melabrina is a Downy Oak tree the size of a small church, draped in moss and ferns. Her ancient arms spread wide in the surrounding forest near Illorai, Sardinia. She's the oldest and largest of her kind in all of Europe. And she's been standing here in these mountains for nine centuries.What she symbolizes is even greater than her beauty.The town’s mayor organized a remarkable conference drawing scientists, conservationists, and community leaders from across Sardinia and beyond, all united around a single idea: that Sardinia's ancient trees, its oldest living landmarks, could form a network worth protecting, visiting, and fighting for.There is something else at stake. Sardinia's small towns are quietly shrinking. Depopulation is hollowing out villages that have survived for millennia. Saving these old trees is vital, but Sardinia's leaders ask a new type of question:Can Sa Melabrina and Sardinia’s monumental trees save its small towns?GuestsGianluca Grande, MayorIllorai, SardiniaDr. Gianluigi BacchettaProfessor, Department of Life and Environmental SciencesDirector, Centre for the Conservation of Biodiversity and Germplasm Bank of SardiniaUniversity of Cagliari, SardiniaPina MurasResident of Illorai, SardiniaCarlo PoddiArborist, Sassari, SardiniaReadings"Su Cherchu Pius Bellu" (The Most Beautiful Oak) by Ignazio Camarda - read by Fulgenzio Piras"The Sa Melabrina Oak" by Graziano NuddaQuote by T.S. Eliot from "The Little Gidding"Voiceover ReadersManuela Buonanno (Pina Muras)Jeff Taliaferro (Graziano Nudda reading)MusicSa Melabrina ChoirConference hospitality provided by ProlocoOak Species of Sardinia - Quercus pubescens groupQuercus dalechampii (Downy Oak)Quercus ichnusaeQuercus congestaQuercus virgilianaOther Oak species in SardiniaQuercus ilex (Holm Oak)Quercus suber (Cork Oak)Quercus calliprinosQuercus morisiTheme Music"This Old Tree," Diccon Lee, www.deeleetree.comArtworkDahn Hiuni, www.dahnhiuni.com/homeWebsitethisoldtree.showTranscripts available.Follow onFacebook or InstagramThis Old Tree podcast is a sponsored project of the New England Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture. To support This Old Tree and New England ISA, click here. We want to hear about the favorite tree in your life! To submit a ~4 or 5 minute  audio story for consideration for an upcoming episode of "Tree Story Shorts" on This Old Tree, record the story on your phone’s voice memo app and email to:[email protected] episode was written in part at LitArts RI, a community organization and co-working space that supports Rhode Island's creators. litartsri.org