When the Forest Breathes

“An impassioned argument for preserving forests and helping them to regenerate. . . . There are only a few scientists who have in recent decades changed the way we view the natural world. Perhaps not coincidentally, most of them are women. . . . One thinks of Jane Goodall . . . marine biologist Rachel Carson . . . and microbiologist Lynn Margulis. Suzanne Simard is another researcher in this paradigm-bending mold. What Simard shares with her pioneering sister scientists is the conviction that humans are not separate from nature, but integral participants in life’s unfolding drama.”
—The Christian Science Monitor

“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.”
—The Wall Street Journal

“Vivid, immersive. . . . Simard has so many fans because the stakes of her research are eminently clear. Her writing shimmers with her deep connection to the forests where she’s spent her life. . . . Anyone dealing with mortality or loss will find solace in Simard’s musings, which include, alongside her grief, reminders of what we can learn from the endless cycle of birth, aging, death, and renewal found in the forest.”
—Undark

“Engaging and often personal. . . . In When the Forest Breathes, scientist Suzanne Simard lays out the intricacies of forest dynamics in exquisite detail. . . . Simard’s new book makes for a satisfying read, an essential one for anyone who cares about the future of life on Earth.”
—The American Scholar

“A masterclass on the inner workings of forests—a lush glimpse at the symphonic mutualisms and intergenerational cascades that sustain life at every scale. Simard, one of the boundary-pushing scientists of our time, is also a resplendent storyteller. Through her, new threads of connection between Indigenous knowledge and Western science are formed. The experiments and ideas in When the Forest Breathes are quietly revolutionary. This is science as an act of love for the world.”
—Zoë Schlanger, New York Times bestselling author of The Light Eaters

“Simard’s latest investigates the many and beautiful ways in which forests regenerate themselves, existing as they do in overlapping cycles of life and death. . . . As she meditates on the incipient adulthood of her two daughters, just as her own mother’s life is winding down, Simard comes to understand that human life is not all that different.”
—LitHub

“In this fervent follow-up to Finding the Mother Tree, forest ecologist Simard delivers a potent mix of superb science writing, environmental advocacy, and a sense of spirituality inspired by her close connection to the natural world. . . . Throughout these pages, one mighty message reverberates: protect the trees and save the forests.”
—Booklist (starred review)

“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.”
—Publishers Weekly

“A captivating journey into the deep woods. . . . Simard clearly conveys the excitement of planning and carrying out her experiments, as well as the many obstacles to be conquered. . . . Her gratitude toward and appreciation for [her] students . . . is touching, as they follow in her footsteps and come up with enticing new projects of their own . . . . Simard’s lyrical tributes to the creatures large and small that make up an ecological system, from fungi and moss to squirrels and bears to the largest and oldest of trees, add a dimension of heart. . . . A determinedly hopeful tribute to natural regeneration.”
—Kirkus

“Illuminating and deeply personal. . . .The knowledge that Simard derives from her research is as much about resilience . . . as it is about scientific discovery. . . . Genuinely fascinating . . . Simard is a clear and engaging narrator.”
—Library Journal