Finding the Mother Tree
Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wish list failed.
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy Now for $26.22
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Suzanne Simard
-
Written by:
-
Suzanne Simard
About this listen
NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER • From the world's leading forest ecologist who forever changed how people view trees and their connections to one another and to other living things in the forest—a moving, deeply personal journey of discovery
“Finding the Mother Tree reminds us that the world is a web of stories, connecting us to one another. [The book] carries the stories of trees, fungi, soil and bears—and of a human being listening in on the conversation. The interplay of personal narrative, scientific insights and the amazing revelations about the life of the forest make a compelling story.”—Robin Wall Kimmerer, author of Braiding Sweetgrass
Suzanne Simard is a pioneer on the frontier of plant communication and intelligence; her TED talks have been viewed by more than 10 million people worldwide.
In this, her first book, now available in audio, Simard brings us into her world, the intimate world of the trees, in which she brilliantly illuminates the fascinating and vital truths—that trees are not simply the source of timber or pulp, but are a complicated, interdependent circle of life; that forests are social, cooperative creatures connected through underground networks by which trees communicate their vitality and vulnerabilities with communal lives not that different from our own.
Simard writes—in inspiring, illuminating, and accessible ways—how trees, living side by side for hundreds of years, have evolved, how they learn and adapt their behaviors, recognize neighbors, compete and cooperate with one another with sophistication, characteristics ascribed to human intelligence, traits that are the essence of civil societies—and at the center of it all, the Mother Trees: the mysterious, powerful forces that connect and sustain the others that surround them.
And Simard writes of her own life, born and raised into a logging world in the rainforests of British Columbia, of her days as a child spent cataloging the trees from the forest and how she came to love and respect them. And as she writes of her scientific quest, she writes of her own journey, making us understand how deeply human scientific inquiry exists beyond data and technology, that it is about understanding who we are and our place in the world.
©2021 Suzanne Simard (P)2021 Random House AudioYou may also enjoy...
-
Entangled Life
- How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures
- Written by: Merlin Sheldrake
- Narrated by: Merlin Sheldrake
- Length: 9 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When we think of fungi, we likely think of mushrooms. But mushrooms are only fruiting bodies, analogous to apples on a tree. Most fungi live out of sight, yet make up a massively diverse kingdom of organisms that supports and sustains nearly all living systems. Fungi provide a key to understanding the planet on which we live, and the ways we think, feel, and behave.
-
-
Very cool
- By Dr Rape Eat on 2020-12-13
Written by: Merlin Sheldrake
-
Gathering Moss
- A Natural and Cultural History of Mosses
- Written by: Robin Wall Kimmerer
- Narrated by: Robin Wall Kimmerer
- Length: 7 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Living at the limits of our ordinary perception, mosses are a common but largely unnoticed element of the natural world. Gathering Moss is a beautifully written mix of science and personal reflection that invites listeners to explore and learn from the elegantly simple lives of mosses.
-
-
Beautiful voice
- By Tanya on 2020-10-06
Written by: Robin Wall Kimmerer
-
The Hidden Life of Trees
- What They Feel, How They Communicate - Discoveries from a Secret World
- Written by: Peter Wohlleben
- Narrated by: Mike Grady
- Length: 7 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
How do trees live? Do they feel pain or have awareness of their surroundings? Research is now suggesting trees are capable of much more than we have ever known. In The Hidden Life of Trees, forester Peter Wohlleben puts groundbreaking scientific discoveries into a language everyone can relate to.
-
-
Totally delightful!
- By eve on 2018-02-12
Written by: Peter Wohlleben
-
Not on My Watch
- How a Renegade Whale Biologist Took on Governments and Industry to Save Wild Salmon
- Written by: Alexandra Morton
- Narrated by: Katie Ryerson
- Length: 12 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Alexandra Morton has been called "the Jane Goodall of Canada" because of her passionate thirty-year fight to save British Columbia's wild salmon. Her account of that fight is both inspiring in its own right and a roadmap of resistance.
-
-
Excellent book.
- By case jean-louis on 2024-02-18
Written by: Alexandra Morton
-
Braiding Sweetgrass
- Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants
- Written by: Robin Wall Kimmerer
- Narrated by: Robin Wall Kimmerer
- Length: 16 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As a botanist and professor of plant ecology, Robin Wall Kimmerer has spent a career learning how to ask questions of nature using the tools of science. As a Potawatomi woman, she learned from elders, family, and history that the Potawatomi, as well as a majority of other cultures indigenous to this land, consider plants and animals to be our oldest teachers.
-
-
Fabulous wise, informative, inspiring, beautifully written book!
- By Carolinebp on 2019-10-01
Written by: Robin Wall Kimmerer
-
To Speak for the Trees
- My Life's Journey from Ancient Celtic Wisdom to a Healing Vision of the Forest
- Written by: Diana Beresford-Kroeger
- Narrated by: Diana Beresford-Kroeger
- Length: 8 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Canadian botanist, biochemist, and visionary Diana Beresford-Kroeger's startling insights into the hidden life of trees have already sparked a quiet revolution in how we understand our relationship to forests. Now, in a captivating account of how her life led her to these illuminating and crucial ideas, she shows us how forests can not only heal us but save the planet.
-
-
A beautiful gift
- By AJM on 2020-01-30
Written by: Diana Beresford-Kroeger
-
Entangled Life
- How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures
- Written by: Merlin Sheldrake
- Narrated by: Merlin Sheldrake
- Length: 9 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When we think of fungi, we likely think of mushrooms. But mushrooms are only fruiting bodies, analogous to apples on a tree. Most fungi live out of sight, yet make up a massively diverse kingdom of organisms that supports and sustains nearly all living systems. Fungi provide a key to understanding the planet on which we live, and the ways we think, feel, and behave.
-
-
Very cool
- By Dr Rape Eat on 2020-12-13
Written by: Merlin Sheldrake
-
Gathering Moss
- A Natural and Cultural History of Mosses
- Written by: Robin Wall Kimmerer
- Narrated by: Robin Wall Kimmerer
- Length: 7 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Living at the limits of our ordinary perception, mosses are a common but largely unnoticed element of the natural world. Gathering Moss is a beautifully written mix of science and personal reflection that invites listeners to explore and learn from the elegantly simple lives of mosses.
-
-
Beautiful voice
- By Tanya on 2020-10-06
Written by: Robin Wall Kimmerer
-
The Hidden Life of Trees
- What They Feel, How They Communicate - Discoveries from a Secret World
- Written by: Peter Wohlleben
- Narrated by: Mike Grady
- Length: 7 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
How do trees live? Do they feel pain or have awareness of their surroundings? Research is now suggesting trees are capable of much more than we have ever known. In The Hidden Life of Trees, forester Peter Wohlleben puts groundbreaking scientific discoveries into a language everyone can relate to.
-
-
Totally delightful!
- By eve on 2018-02-12
Written by: Peter Wohlleben
-
Not on My Watch
- How a Renegade Whale Biologist Took on Governments and Industry to Save Wild Salmon
- Written by: Alexandra Morton
- Narrated by: Katie Ryerson
- Length: 12 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Alexandra Morton has been called "the Jane Goodall of Canada" because of her passionate thirty-year fight to save British Columbia's wild salmon. Her account of that fight is both inspiring in its own right and a roadmap of resistance.
-
-
Excellent book.
- By case jean-louis on 2024-02-18
Written by: Alexandra Morton
-
Braiding Sweetgrass
- Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants
- Written by: Robin Wall Kimmerer
- Narrated by: Robin Wall Kimmerer
- Length: 16 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As a botanist and professor of plant ecology, Robin Wall Kimmerer has spent a career learning how to ask questions of nature using the tools of science. As a Potawatomi woman, she learned from elders, family, and history that the Potawatomi, as well as a majority of other cultures indigenous to this land, consider plants and animals to be our oldest teachers.
-
-
Fabulous wise, informative, inspiring, beautifully written book!
- By Carolinebp on 2019-10-01
Written by: Robin Wall Kimmerer
-
To Speak for the Trees
- My Life's Journey from Ancient Celtic Wisdom to a Healing Vision of the Forest
- Written by: Diana Beresford-Kroeger
- Narrated by: Diana Beresford-Kroeger
- Length: 8 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Canadian botanist, biochemist, and visionary Diana Beresford-Kroeger's startling insights into the hidden life of trees have already sparked a quiet revolution in how we understand our relationship to forests. Now, in a captivating account of how her life led her to these illuminating and crucial ideas, she shows us how forests can not only heal us but save the planet.
-
-
A beautiful gift
- By AJM on 2020-01-30
Written by: Diana Beresford-Kroeger
-
The Serviceberry
- Written by: Robin Wall Kimmerer
- Narrated by: Robin Wall Kimmerer
- Length: 1 hr and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As Indigenous scientist and author of Braiding Sweetgrass Robin Wall Kimmerer harvests serviceberries alongside the birds, she considers the ethic of reciprocity that lies at the heart of the gift economy. How, she asks, can we learn from Indigenous wisdom and the plant world to reimagine what we value most? Our economy is rooted in scarcity, competition, and the hoarding of resources, and we have surrendered our values to a system that actively harms what we love. Meanwhile, the serviceberry’s relationship with the natural world is an embodiment of reciprocity.
-
-
An excellent read!
- By Gardener Phyl on 2024-11-19
Written by: Robin Wall Kimmerer
-
The Heartbeat of Trees
- Embracing Our Ancient Bond with Forests and Nature
- Written by: Peter Wohlleben
- Narrated by: Mike Grady
- Length: 7 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In The Heartbeat of Trees, renowned forester Peter Wohlleben draws on new scientific discoveries to show how humans are deeply connected to the natural world. In an era of climate change, many of us fear we’ve lost our connection to nature - but Peter Wohlleben is convinced that age-old ties linking humans to the forest remain alive and intact. We just have to know where to look.
-
-
you need to read this
- By Anonymous User on 2023-04-13
Written by: Peter Wohlleben
-
Forest Walking
- Discovering the Trees and Woodlands of North America
- Written by: Peter Wohlleben, Jane Billinghurst
- Narrated by: Sean Sonier
- Length: 6 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When you walk in the woods, do you use all five senses to explore your surroundings? For most of us, the answer is no—but when we do, a walk in the woods can go from pleasant to immersive and restorative. Forest Walking teaches you how to engage with the forest by decoding nature’s signs and awakening to the ancient past and thrilling present of the ecosystem around you.
-
-
A disappointment compared to The Hidden Life of Trees
- By Becky Rempel on 2023-10-09
Written by: Peter Wohlleben, and others
-
The Hidden Kingdom of Fungi
- Exploring the Microscopic World in Our Forests, Homes, and Bodies
- Written by: Keith Seifert, Rob Dunn - foreword
- Narrated by: Steven Marriott
- Length: 6 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this uniquely all-encompassing book about fungi, mycologist Keith Seifert looks at a variety of different types of fungi, including those that are invisible to the naked eye, and those that live in relationship to humans, agriculture, animals, forests, cities, and more.
Written by: Keith Seifert, and others
-
Our Green Heart
- The Soul and Science of Forests
- Written by: Diana Beresford-Kroeger
- Narrated by: Diana Beresford-Kroeger
- Length: 6 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this inspiring culmination of Diana Beresford-Kroeger’s life’s work as botanist, biochemist, biologist and poet of the global forest, she delivers a challenge to us all to dig deeper into the science of forests and the ways they will save us from climate breakdown—and then do our part to plant and protect them.
-
-
Read it again and again and again
- By Sam on 2024-12-10
Written by: Diana Beresford-Kroeger
-
The Wisdom Wheel
- A Mythic Journey Through the Four Directions
- Written by: Dr. Alberto Villoldo
- Narrated by: Robert G. Slade
- Length: 7 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The teachings of the medicine wheel have existed from the beginning of time. Today, however, we are creating modern paradigms of shamanism while drawing on the sacred traditions of the past. In this book, shamanic practitioner Alberto Villoldo explains that the medicine wheel is also a wisdom wheel: an advanced tool for working toward personal and planetary transformation.
-
-
Outstanding insights into Shamanism
- By Amazon Customer on 2023-04-21
Written by: Dr. Alberto Villoldo
-
You Are the Medicine
- 13 Moons of Indigenous Wisdom, Ancestral Connection, and Animal Spirit Guidance
- Written by: Asha Frost
- Narrated by: Asha Frost
- Length: 7 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Medicine you have been searching for lives within you. Follow the path of the 13 Ojibwe Moons with Animal Spirits and Ancestors as your guides as you unlock your connection to your own unique, inherent healing power. Through storytelling, ceremonies, and Shamanic journeys, learn to apply ancient wisdom to your life in ways that are respectful and conscious of the stolen lands, lives, and traditions of Indigenous peoples.
-
-
A Powerful Healing Journey
- By Amazon Customer on 2022-06-22
Written by: Asha Frost
-
Forest Bathing
- How Trees Can Help You Find Health and Happiness
- Written by: Dr. Qing Li
- Narrated by: Ramon Tikaram
- Length: 3 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As a society, we suffer from nature deficit disorder, but studies have shown that spending mindful, intentional time around trees—what the Japanese call shinrin-yoku, or forest bathing—can promote health and happiness. In this beautiful audiobook, Dr. Qing Li, the world's foremost expert in forest medicine, shows how forest bathing can reduce your stress levels and blood pressure, strengthen your immune and cardiovascular systems, boost your energy, mood, creativity, and concentration, and even help you lose weight and live longer.
-
-
Foundation to Understanding the Concept
- By Marva Ward on 2023-06-02
Written by: Dr. Qing Li
-
The Power of Trees
- How Ancient Forests Can Save Us if We Let Them
- Written by: Peter Wohlleben, Jane Billinghurst
- Narrated by: Mike Grady
- Length: 7 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In his beloved book The Hidden Life of Trees, Peter Wohlleben revealed astonishing discoveries about the social networks of trees and how they communicate. Now, in The Power of Trees, he turns to their future, with a searing critique of forestry management, tree planting, and the exploitation of old growth forests. At the heart of The Power of Trees lies Wohlleben’s passionate plea: that our survival is dependent on trusting ancient forests, and allowing them to thrive.
Written by: Peter Wohlleben, and others
-
The Botany of Desire
- A Plant's-Eye View of the World
- Written by: Michael Pollan
- Narrated by: Michael Pollan
- Length: 8 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1637, one Dutchman paid as much for a single tulip bulb as the going price of a town house in Amsterdam. Three and a half centuries later, Amsterdam is once again the mecca for people who care passionately about one particular plant—though this time the obsessions revolves around the intoxicating effects of marijuana rather than the visual beauty of the tulip. How could flowers, of all things, become such objects of desire that they can drive men to financial ruin?
-
-
Throughly enjoyed it!
- By Anonymous User on 2023-02-19
Written by: Michael Pollan
-
Root and Ritual
- Timeless Ways to Connect to Land, Lineage, Community, and the Self
- Written by: Becca Piastrelli
- Narrated by: Becca Piastrelli
- Length: 4 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Despite our best efforts, our modern world leaves so many of us feeling isolated, unworthy, and alone. We’re unrooted from the land, untethered from our lineages, disconnected from our communities, and separated from our deepest sense of self. In Root and Ritual, Becca Piastrelli offers a pathway back to connection and wholeness through rituals, recipes, and ancestral wisdom.
-
-
Medicine for our modern day
- By kelsey on 2023-01-30
Written by: Becca Piastrelli
-
The Revolutionary Genius of Plants
- A New Understanding of Plant Intelligence and Behavior
- Written by: Stefano Mancuso
- Narrated by: Gibson Frazier
- Length: 4 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Do plants have intelligence? Do they have memory? Are they better problem solvers than people? The Revolutionary Genius of Plants - a fascinating, paradigm-shifting work that upends everything you thought you knew about plants - makes a compelling scientific case that these and other astonishing ideas are all true.
Written by: Stefano Mancuso
What the critics say
*WINNER of the 2021 Banff Mountain Book Prize in Mountain Environment and Natural History*
*WINNER of the National Outdoor Book Award for Natural History Literature*
*WINNER of the 2022 BC and Yukon Bill Duthie Booksellers’ Choice Award*
*SHORTLISTED for the 2022 BC and Yukon Hubert Evans Non-Fiction Book Prize*
*SHORTLISTED for the 2021 Science Writers and Communicators of Canada Book Award*
*FINALIST for the 2023 SCWES Book Awards*
INSTANT NATIONAL BESTSELLER
One of:
Vogue's "13 Books to Help You Reconnect with Nature"
Electric Lit’s “7 Books by Women Writers About Humanity’s Relationship to Trees”
“Simard has spent decades with her hands in the soil, designing experiments and piecing together the remarkable mysteries of forest ecology . . . elegantly detailed . . . deeply personal . . . A testament to Simard’s skill as a science communicator. Her research is clearly defined, the steps of her experiments articulated, her astonishing results explained and the implications laid bare: We ignore the complexity of forests at our peril.”—The New York Times
“Simard’s memoir describes the intersecting webs of her career and private life that brought her to rewrite not only the forestry canon but our understanding of nature itself. She is an intellectual force whose powerful ideas overshadow her name . . . Like Charles Darwin’s findings, Simard’s results are so revolutionary and controversial that they have quickly worked their way into social theory, urban planning, culture and art. Simard’s work knocked 19th-century notions of inevitable competition off their pedestals. If a forest is a commons where the fate of the weakest is tied to that of the strongest, then we have a lot of rethinking to do.”—The Washington Post
“[Simard] shares the wisdom of a life of listening to the forest . . . a scientific memoir as gripping as any HBO drama series.”—The Observer
What listeners say about Finding the Mother Tree
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
- Brennan Wilson
- 2021-07-17
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Excellent book! Should be mandatory reading. Such vital research that contiunes to advance our understanding of the interconnectivity of not only forest ecosystems but how all species on the planet are connected
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Patricia Meier
- 2021-08-18
We can learn from the trees….
This book is an amazing story about a woman’s journey to understand the inner workings of the forest. The parallels to her own life and humanity in general are fantastic
I loved this book and now I’m wondering how I can use this information to better my own annal patch of paradise.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 2022-04-09
Suzanne Simard could save us all
If key world leaders would listen and give serious regard the information found in this book we just might have a hope in hell of saving the planet.
Thank you for your life's work Suzanne
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 2021-12-11
Absolutely brilliantl!
This might be my favourite book ever! I just finished and I’m going to start again from the beginning as I really want to understand the science better. The surprise for me were the human parallels to forest communication and health and one health issue in particular that I could completely relate to. I just love this brave, brilliant woman!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 2022-01-29
Suzanne is a modern day Rachel Carson
I found this book to be a bit more science than I expected, and I am not positive the author was the best choice to read it. However the content is brilliant! I have so much admiration for the field work that undeniably proves trees are intelligent, social creatures - beyond our capacity to fully appreciate. The title itself drew me in. 3/4 of the way into it I was so hooked on where it was going and the book did not disappoint in that regard.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Sebastian
- 2023-01-14
Must read
Incredible delivery of a truth everyone should know. Engaging story with a deep explanation to how humans, trees and fauna are dependent of each other.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 2024-05-29
Must listen - Epic and raw tale of Suzanne’s journey
Magnificent, heartfelt story of Suzanne’s journey to discover the Mother Tree concept and how magically interconnected life can be in the diverse ecosystems surrounding us. Thank you for your passion, dedication and curiosity, and for sharing this wonderful story with us.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 2023-04-03
It was so good!
At times it was a bit hard to follow (a lot of terms I didn't understand) but I loved the process of her journey and hearing how her personal life reflected in her work and understanding of the world!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- frankie
- 2024-05-26
Hopeful book that will remain one of my favourites
I’ve been unable to understand why the forest industry continues to clear cut forests. This book gave me much needed hope for our world. I expect the research highlighted in this book (and continuing research) will eventually awaken the policy makers who will introduce better forestry practices.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 2023-07-06
Important
Such an inspiring read. May be about scientific work but also contains insight on life, love, self-discovery and resilience. Talks about universal struggles (internal and external) that many people (especially women) face in the tender balance of life.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!