Franz Dolp Character Analysis in Braiding Sweetgrass

Franz Dolp was an economics professor, philanthropist, and poet who moved to the Pacific Northwest and set about planting thousands of trees, attempting to lay the groundwork for a new old-growth forest to replace those that had been lost. Franz’s writings show how patient study and work can repair one’s relationship to the land, as well as help to heal the land itself.

Franz Dolp Character Timeline in Braiding Sweetgrass

The timeline below shows where the character Franz Dolp appears in Braiding Sweetgrass. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Indigenous Wisdom and Scientific Knowledge Theme Icon

The Indigenous Past and Future Theme Icon

...narrative now shifts to the late 1980s and describes a man in his fifties named Franz Dolp, who is clearing a trail through thick brush and writing in his journal about... (full context)

Gifts, Gratitude, and Responsibility Theme Icon

It takes several days of work for Franz to clear a path to the top of the ridge, where he is able look... (full context)

...by a hundred years later almost all the old growth was gone. At this time Franz is living with his wife and two children in Oregon, planting apple trees and working... (full context)

...are self-sustaining communities, like the old-growth human communities that grew up alongside them. At Shotpouch, Franz decides that his goal for his own wounded patch of land is “to plant an... (full context)

First Franz builds a cabin for himself—made of cedar, as he originally intended, but he has to... (full context)

To even own the land at Shotpouch, Franz has to register an “approved management plan” for the property, which is not classified as... (full context)

...for logging, but no one had previously attempted to plant a natural, old-growth forest before. Franz has only the forest itself to teach him, so he closely observes how old-growth forests... (full context)

Franz sometimes doubts if his plan will work, as it seems especially difficult to restore the... (full context)

...a common tree in many areas, especially in swampy soil that other species don’t like. Franz thus plants most of his new cedars alongside creeks. The antimicrobial properties of cedar wood—which... (full context)

Franz starts dating someone named Dawn, who works alongside him clearing brush and planting trees. They... (full context)

Kimmerer then comments on another name on Franz’s map: “Old Growth Children.” The name implies faith and hope for a future even after... (full context)

Franz’s journal continues, as he describes how he has come to think of forestry as an... (full context)

Franz writes that he believes his work has taken root and he has hope that it... (full context)