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When the Forest Breathes

Renewal and Resilience in the Natural World

Author Suzanne Simard
Hardcover
$30.00 US
Knopf
On sale Mar 31, 2026 | 336 Pages | 9780593318683
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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 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.
© Brendan Ko
DR. SUZANNE SIMARD is a Professor of Forest Ecology at the University of British Columbia, where she currently leads The Mother Tree Project and co-directs the Belowground Ecosystem Group. Dr. Simard has earned a global reputation for pioneering research on tree connectivity and communication, and studying the impact on the productivity, health, and biodiversity of forests. Her work has been published widely, with over 170 scientific articles in peer-reviewed journals, including Nature, Ecology, and Global Biology, and she has co-authored the book Climate Change and Variability. Her research has been communicated broadly through three TED Talks, TED Experiences, as well as articles and interviews in The New Yorker, National Geographic, The Globe and Mail, NPR, CNN, CBC, and many more. She lives with her two adventurous daughters and their wild and crazy extended family in the mountains around Nelson, British Columbia. View titles by Suzanne Simard

About

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 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.

Author

© Brendan Ko
DR. SUZANNE SIMARD is a Professor of Forest Ecology at the University of British Columbia, where she currently leads The Mother Tree Project and co-directs the Belowground Ecosystem Group. Dr. Simard has earned a global reputation for pioneering research on tree connectivity and communication, and studying the impact on the productivity, health, and biodiversity of forests. Her work has been published widely, with over 170 scientific articles in peer-reviewed journals, including Nature, Ecology, and Global Biology, and she has co-authored the book Climate Change and Variability. Her research has been communicated broadly through three TED Talks, TED Experiences, as well as articles and interviews in The New Yorker, National Geographic, The Globe and Mail, NPR, CNN, CBC, and many more. She lives with her two adventurous daughters and their wild and crazy extended family in the mountains around Nelson, British Columbia. View titles by Suzanne Simard

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