When the Forest Breathes
Renewal and Resilience in the Natural World
Published on 31. March 2026
Book
Hardback
336 pages
978-0-241-76331-5 (ISBN)
Description
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
'The Indiana Jones of trees' Guardian
When the forest breathes out, we breathe in. When the forest thrives, we thrive.
The world-renowned forest ecologist Suzanne Simard has transformed our understanding of the profound intelligence and interconnectedness of trees. In When the Forest Breathes, she uncovers how the deep-rooted cycles of renewal that sustain the forest can also help us to protect our entire global ecosystem.
Raised in a family of loggers committed to sustainable stewardship of the land, Simard has watched as timber companies leave the forests of her native British Columbia vulnerable to wildfires and drought, threatening the crucial biodiversity that they support. But her groundbreaking research for the Mother Tree Project - one of the most ambitious forest ecology experiments of its kind - has the potential to chart a new course. The forest, she reveals, is a living symphony of finely honed cycles of birth, growth, death and rebirth that hold the key to protecting the natural world. Working closely with local Indigenous communities, whose sustainable practices have been largely ignored, Simard examines how holistic, regenerative forestry that preserves the cycles of the forest can help solve the global climate crisis.
Weaving together scientific discoveries and luminous storytelling, Simard's book is a call to rediscover our kinship with the natural world, and listen to the lessons of the forest.
'The Indiana Jones of trees' Guardian
When the forest breathes out, we breathe in. When the forest thrives, we thrive.
The world-renowned forest ecologist Suzanne Simard has transformed our understanding of the profound intelligence and interconnectedness of trees. In When the Forest Breathes, she uncovers how the deep-rooted cycles of renewal that sustain the forest can also help us to protect our entire global ecosystem.
Raised in a family of loggers committed to sustainable stewardship of the land, Simard has watched as timber companies leave the forests of her native British Columbia vulnerable to wildfires and drought, threatening the crucial biodiversity that they support. But her groundbreaking research for the Mother Tree Project - one of the most ambitious forest ecology experiments of its kind - has the potential to chart a new course. The forest, she reveals, is a living symphony of finely honed cycles of birth, growth, death and rebirth that hold the key to protecting the natural world. Working closely with local Indigenous communities, whose sustainable practices have been largely ignored, Simard examines how holistic, regenerative forestry that preserves the cycles of the forest can help solve the global climate crisis.
Weaving together scientific discoveries and luminous storytelling, Simard's book is a call to rediscover our kinship with the natural world, and listen to the lessons of the forest.
Reviews / Votes
The Indiana Jones of trees returns... Inspiring... few people can speak about trees with quite as much conviction as Simard... She is a Canadian national treasure and global environmental icon -- Mythili Rao * Guardian * Practical as well as passionate... a combination of personal memoir, scientific explanation and praise for indigenous and ancient traditions -- Victor Mallet * Financial Times * [Simard] is the pioneering Canadian ecologist who has changed the way we think about forests... this book will attract anyone who is fascinated by forests and their remarkable capacities -- Kate Teltscher * Spectator * That trees relate to one another is an idea once thought outlandish but now widely accepted. . . . Simard writes with great affection of the bustling rhythms of forest life. . . . She expresses a hope that she may help, through her work, to validate the holistic native worldviews that see an interconnectedness between all living things -- Meghan Cox Gurdon * Wall Street Journal * Suzanne Simard has helped transform our understanding of the profound intelligence and interconnectedness of trees -- Liz Else * New Scientist, best new popular science books of March 2026 * This passionate study from ecologist Simard reveals how preserving forests' natural cycles of death and renewal is key to their longevity. . . . Throughout, Simard artfully highlights the importance of honoring natural cycles by reflecting on her daughter's coming-of-age and her mother's reaching the end of her life. The result is a resonant and urgent call for change * Publisher's Weekly *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Penguin Books Ltd
Dimensions
Height: 240 mm
Width: 159 mm
Thickness: 37 mm
Weight
578 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-241-76331-5 (9780241763315)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
03/2026
Penguin
€14.99
Available for download
Person
Dr. Suzanne Simard is the bestselling author of Finding the Mother Tree. She is a Professor of Forest Ecology at the University of British Columbia, where she leads The Mother Tree Project. She has earned a global reputation for pioneering research on tree connectivity and communication and its impact on the health and diversity of forests. She lives with her family in the mountains around Nelson, British Columbia.