When the Forest Breathes: Renewal and Resilience in the Natural World
by Suzanne Simard
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Description
"The trailblazing scientist who pioneered the concept of sophisticated communication between trees returns with a book that, drawing on rigorous science and neglected indigenous wisdom, places nature's own cycles of renewal at the center of a powerful vision for the future of our forests. With her bestselling book Finding the Mother Tree, forest ecologist Suzanne Simard advanced a revelatory new paradigm for the profound intelligence and interconnectedness of trees. Now, with When the Forest show more Breathes, she uncovers the ways that nature's deep-rooted cycles of renewal can ensure the longevity of threatened ecosystems. Raised in a family of loggers committed to sensible forest stewardship, Simard has watched timber companies plunder the forest for profit, leaving in their wake an ecosystem at higher risk for wildfire, 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 from the threats of logging and climate change. Leading one of the most ambitious climate research initiatives ever undertaken, Simard examines how human interventions-particularly loggers' destruction of the overstory's mother trees-affect new growth in her native British Columbia. Working closely with local Indigenous communities, whose models of responsible forestry have been largely dismissed, she unearths groundbreaking findings that, if implemented, could ensure the survival of these ecosystems for generations 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 young women and savoring her final days with her ailing mother. Animated by wonder and hope for our planet's endangered places and the intricate practices of caretaking that have sustained them for millennia, When the Forest Breathes is a vital reminder of all the natural world has to teach us about adaptability, resilience, and community"-- Provided by publisher. show lessTags
Recommendations
Member Reviews
The older trees, with more resources, were connecting with and nurturing their younger siblings. from When the Forest Breathes
“The loss was irreplaceable.”
It is terrifying to read.
Clear cut logging in British Columbia’s forests not only denudes the land of their targeted trees, but the heavy equipment denudes the land of all the trees, all organic compounds, removing stored carbon entirely. Gone is the bacteria and fungi, the earthworms and small insects, the plants that contribute their organic matter to make soil.
The trees planted for the next harvest will not thrive in this environment. There is no farming of trees.
Profit drives this way of forestry. Short term profit.
Destroying the forests harms the entire Earth, driving show more climage change, allowing flooding and rampent wildfires. The carbon stored in forests is immense, and it’s release disastrous.
Humanity knows how to harvest trees sustainably. The Native Americans did it for generations. But there is no profit in it.
Suzanne Simard’s book When the Forest Breathes continues her research into the importance of Mother Trees and the impact of modern lumbering. It is a sobering book.
She also tells her story as a mother and a daughter. She tells of Native Americans who explain what the loss of the forests means to their way of life, and how their traditions preserved them. She finds hope in the Land Back movement that demands control over stolen lands.
We are facing a dystopian threat, but we are also gifted with the stunning opportunity to creat transformational change. from When the Forest Breathes
The “power of colloboration” demonstrated by the trees of the forest show us the way forward. “when the forest breathes, out, you breathe in. When the forests thrive, you thrive. When the forests live, you live.”
Thanks to Knopf for a free book. show less
“The loss was irreplaceable.”
It is terrifying to read.
Clear cut logging in British Columbia’s forests not only denudes the land of their targeted trees, but the heavy equipment denudes the land of all the trees, all organic compounds, removing stored carbon entirely. Gone is the bacteria and fungi, the earthworms and small insects, the plants that contribute their organic matter to make soil.
The trees planted for the next harvest will not thrive in this environment. There is no farming of trees.
Profit drives this way of forestry. Short term profit.
Destroying the forests harms the entire Earth, driving show more climage change, allowing flooding and rampent wildfires. The carbon stored in forests is immense, and it’s release disastrous.
Humanity knows how to harvest trees sustainably. The Native Americans did it for generations. But there is no profit in it.
Suzanne Simard’s book When the Forest Breathes continues her research into the importance of Mother Trees and the impact of modern lumbering. It is a sobering book.
She also tells her story as a mother and a daughter. She tells of Native Americans who explain what the loss of the forests means to their way of life, and how their traditions preserved them. She finds hope in the Land Back movement that demands control over stolen lands.
We are facing a dystopian threat, but we are also gifted with the stunning opportunity to creat transformational change. from When the Forest Breathes
The “power of colloboration” demonstrated by the trees of the forest show us the way forward. “when the forest breathes, out, you breathe in. When the forests thrive, you thrive. When the forests live, you live.”
Thanks to Knopf for a free book. show less
*well written, easy to read
*informative, educational and very heavily researched
*raw, honest and inspiring
*highly recommend
*informative, educational and very heavily researched
*raw, honest and inspiring
*highly recommend
Ratings
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ThingScore 75
added by JohnRoberts6294
Lists
Globe and Mail | Canadian Non-Fiction: April 11, 2026
10 works; 1 member
Globe and Mail | Canadian Non-Fiction: April 18, 2026
10 works; 1 member
Globe and Mail | Canadian Non-Fiction: April 25, 2026
10 works; 1 member
Globe and Mail | Canadian Non-Fiction: May 2, 2026
10 works; 1 member
Author Information
4+ Works 1,302 Members
Awards and Honors
Distinctions
The Guardian Book of the Day (2026-03-18)
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- When the Forest Breathes: Renewal and Resilience in the Natural World
- Original title
- When the Forest Breathes: Renewal and Resilience in the Natural World
- Original publication date
- 2026
- People/Characters
- Suzanne Simard
- Important places
- British Columbia, Canada
- Epigraph
- What we do to the land, we do to ourselves.
--Lisa White-Kuuyang, Haida Nation - First words
- There is no way to understand how something grows without also understanding how it dies.
- Blurbers
- Schlanger, Zoë
- Original language
- English
- Canonical DDC/MDS
- 333.75
Classifications
- Genres
- Science & Nature, Nonfiction, General Nonfiction
- DDC/MDS
- 333.75 — Social sciences Economics Economics of land and energy Land, recreational and wilderness areas, energy Forests & Rainforests
- LCC
- SD411.52 .S56 .A3 — Agriculture Forestry. Arboriculture. Silviculture Forestry Conservation and protection
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 47
- Popularity
- 633,338
- Reviews
- 2
- Rating
- (4.90)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 5
- ASINs
- 2
