When the Forest Breathes

Renewal and Resilience in the Natural World

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The scientist who pioneered the concept of sophisticated communication between trees now offers a powerful vision for saving our forests, based on nature’s deep-rooted cycles of renewal.

"A masterclass on the inner workings of forests. . . . This is science as an act of love for the world.” —Zoë Schlanger, author of The Light Eaters

Raised in a family of loggers committed to sensible forest stewardship, trailblazing ecologist Suzanne Simard has watched as timber companies leave forests at higher risk for wildfires, water crises, and plant and animal extinction. But her research has the potential to chart a new course. The forest, she reveals, is a symphony of finely honed cycles of regeneration—from mushrooms breaking down logs to dying elder trees passing their genetic knowledge to younger ones—that hold the key to protecting our forests. Working closely with local Indigenous communities, whose models of responsible forestry have been largely dismissed, Simard examines how human interventions—particularly destruction of the overstory's mother trees—endanger new growth and longevity. If we can honor the tools that trees have honed for sharing intergenerational wisdom, she argues, we can protect these sacred places for many years to come.

As she considers how older living things facilitate the conditions for new growth to flourish, Simard faces parallel rhythms of loss and regeneration in her own life, watching her two daughters grow into adults and savoring her final days with her ailing mother. Animated by wonder for our forests and the intricate practices of caretaking that have long sustained them, When the Forest Breathes is a vital reminder of all the natural world has to teach us about adaptability, resilience, and community.

Informative, life-giving book!

Suzanne‘s vivid writing empowers anyone to understand complex scientific inner relations, enforced ecology. She weaves together her own life events with the events of her research in a gripping story that had me breathing with her as she experienced Life-threatening incidents from wildfire to climate protest to the daily grind of scientific methodology in the field. This book gave me hope that the holistic approach that balances science with indigenous knowledge will be able to help the world avoid climate catastrophe. Suzanne’s life and writing gives great good hope to us all. Highly recommended.