I really like trees. Did you know that trees can share information through an underground fungal network that ties their roots together like the neural networks in a brain? Did you know that the largest organism on Earth looks a whole lot like a forest of 47,000 trees in Utah, but is actually one aspen named Pando? Did you know that trees can release airborne signals that drive away insects or even attract the predators of the insects that threaten their own survival? Maybe you also love trees, but more likely you’re just a casual nature lover who’s intrigued by this list. Good. Welcome. Come on this journey with me. Did you like The Overstory by Richard Powers? Well, guess what — a lot of his characters are based on real-life people and their real-life experiences and discoveries. A lot of their work is featured below. Trees are fascinating, magnificent creatures that are all around us, but most of us know so little about them. These books about trees will introduce you to all the wonders of trees, to Pando and the redwoods, to baobob and bristlecone pine. Note: There is a lot of fantastic nature writing by authors of color, such as Trace: Memory, History, Race, and the American Landscape by Lauret Savoy. Unfortunately, I was unable to track down many focused specifically on trees. Still, these books about trees will help shift the perspective and broaden the knowledge base of any nature or tree lover, and I encourage you to dive into them. Want more books about trees? Read about the horror genre and its relationship to the forest, dig into novels that star nature or the landscape as main characters, or explore some fantastic eco-fiction reads.
