8 Best Tree Books
The best tree books, ranked by expert source recommendations, with notes to help readers choose forest science, natural history, environmental fiction, and memoir.
Our take
Books about trees can change what you notice on a walk, explain how forests develop, or follow the human choices that alter a landscape. Some use scientific research and field observation; others work through history, memoir, or fiction. These choices suit readers who want a closer relationship with wooded places, though the narrative books here serve a different purpose from a regional identification guide.
The Hidden Life of Trees offers a conversational introduction to woodland life, while Finding the Mother Tree combines a research career with personal experience. American Canopy examines the place of trees in United States history. The Botany of Desire looks more broadly at cultivated plants and human wants, and The Nature Fix considers our responses to natural surroundings. For fiction, The Man Who Planted Trees is a brief fable; The Overstory asks for a much longer engagement.
Start with the kind of reading you enjoy: a short story, a research memoir, or an extended novel.
8 books · 8 sources · Last updated
As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases (at no extra cost to you).
How to choose from this list
Skip to the full rankingIf you want an accessible forest introduction: The Hidden Life of Trees → Finding the Mother Tree
If you prefer fiction: The Man Who Planted Trees → The Overstory
If you want trees in American history: American Canopy
If you enjoy accounts of field exploration: The Wild Trees
If you want plants and people together: The Botany of Desire → The Nature Fix
The 8 books, ranked
Ranked by how many expert sources name each book. Ties go to the book more people recommend.
For curious walkers who want an accessible, emotionally engaging account of forest life. The conversational approach invites closer attention, but its human metaphors and sweeping interpretations need to be distinguished from firmly established scientific findings.
What it's about
Wohlleben opens the forest floor and canopy to show trees as social beings that share nutrients, send warnings, and support their young. It is an eye-opening look at woodland life, rooted in science and years of fieldwork.
Also recommended by
4 people
Emma Watson recommended this bookEmma Watson
On the "books read" section of Emma Watson's GoodReads profile.
Emma Watson's recommendation of this book 
Patrick O'Shaughnessy recommended this bookPatrick O'Shaughnessy
"If you like the woods at all, pick this up immediately. You will never see the forest (the 'wood wide web') the same way again." - Patrick O'Shaughnessy
Patrick O'Shaughnessy's recommendation of this book 
Brit Marling recommended this bookBrit Marling
"@z_al and I came up with the Tree Internet sequence after being inspired by [this book]." - Brit Marling
Brit Marling's recommendation of this book 
Morgan Housel recommended this bookMorgan Housel
"A fascinating book about the complexity of something that seems basic." - Morgan Housel
Morgan Housel's recommendation of this book
The Overstory
For fiction readers who want trees to shape a large human story rather than sit in the background. Its interwoven perspectives make ecological responsibility personal, but the length and shifting structure require commitment.
What it's about
Nine people are drawn by their encounters with trees into a larger story of forests, activism, and loss. As their lives branch together, the novel asks what humans owe the living world around them.
Also recommended by
4 people
Hugh Jackman recommended this bookHugh Jackman
"Completely reverses the way you look at the world when you walk outside." - Hugh Jackman
Hugh Jackman's recommendation of this book 
Emilia Clarke recommended this bookEmilia Clarke
"Should be mandatory reading the world over." - Emilia Clarke
Emilia Clarke's recommendation of this book 
Bill Gates recommended this bookBill Gates
"One of the most unusual novels I’ve read in years." - Bill Gates
Bill Gates's recommendation of this book 
Mark Manson recommended this bookMark Manson
"I loved this book." - Mark Manson
Mark Manson's recommendation of this book
For readers interested in how human desires shape cultivated plants and vice versa. The apple chapters connect it directly with trees, but most of the book concerns other plants rather than forests or tree identification.
What it's about
Michael Pollan examines the reciprocal relationship between humans and four cultivated plants: apples, tulips, marijuana, and potatoes. Their histories reveal how desires for sweetness, beauty, intoxication, and control have shaped both plants and people.
Also recommended by
2 people
Tim Draper recommended this bookTim Draper
"My wife recommended [this book]." - Tim Draper
Tim Draper's recommendation of this book 
Samin Nosrat recommended this bookSamin Nosrat
Samin Nosrat mentioned this book on "The Tim Ferriss Show" podcast.
Samin Nosrat's recommendation of this book
For readers who want forest research connected with a scientist's lived experience. The memoir makes the development of questions and experiments tangible, but personal narrative and broader interpretations share space with the research itself.
What it's about
Suzanne Simard interweaves her life in British Columbia’s forests with her research into connections between trees and fungi. The memoir explores her account of forest cooperation, influential older trees, and the challenges of pursuing scientific inquiry.
Also recommended by
1 person
Diane Rehm recommended this bookDiane Rehm
"Has revealed that forests are social, cooperative creatures connected through underground networks." - Diane Rehm
Diane Rehm's recommendation of this book
For history readers who want to understand the United States through forests, timber, and conservation. Its national scope makes trees part of political and economic life, but it is less useful for recognizing species outdoors.
What it's about
Eric Rutkow traces American history through the country's relationship with trees and forests. Stories of protest, industry, urban parks, forest destruction, and conservation show how woodlands shaped economic development, public life, and changing ideas about nature.
The Man Who Planted Trees
For readers who want a brief fictional reflection on patience and care for the land. Its concentrated fable offers a gentler entry than the science and history here, but it provides no practical planting instruction.
What it's about
A traveler encounters Elzéard Bouffier, a solitary shepherd quietly planting trees in a barren part of Provence. Jean Giono's brief fable follows his patient work over the years, exploring perseverance, generosity, and one person's relationship with the land.
For readers interested in the human experience of natural places rather than tree biology alone. Its reporting connects outdoor environments with research on wellbeing, but the scope extends well beyond forests and individual responses vary.
What it's about
Florence Williams travels to forests and other natural settings to investigate research on nature's effects on people. Reporting from Korea, Finland, and California, she examines connections among outdoor environments, mood, health, creativity, and the demands of modern life.
The Wild Trees
For readers who like exploration and close encounters with a place more than a general survey. Its reporting brings redwood canopy research to life, but the focus on particular climbers and forests limits its geographic breadth.
What it's about
Botanists and amateur naturalists climb California’s towering redwoods to explore their hidden canopies. Richard Preston follows their discoveries and personal lives, revealing ecosystems high above the ground and the risks involved in studying these extraordinary forests.
Sources
- 1
Top 10 Best Books About Trees and Nature
urnabios.com
- 2
11 Amazing Books About the Wonder of Trees
bookriot.com
- 3
Great Nature Books to Read This Summer: Trees, Forests, and Wildlife
onetreeplanted.org
- 4
Best Books About Trees (160 books)
goodreads.com
- 5
Some great reads on trees and the natural world
reddit.com
- 6
Books about trees
reddit.com
- 7
The Best Books on Trees - Five Books Expert Recommendations
fivebooks.com
- 8
Tree Identification Books
penguinrandomhouse.com
Edited by
Software engineer whose passion for tracking book recommendations from podcasts inspired the creation of MRB.
Lead investor at 3one4 Capital whose startup expertise and love for books helped shape MRB and its growth.
Comments
Spotted a missing book, a wrong order or a mistake? Tell us and we'll fix this page.
We're a reading guide, not the author or publisher, so we can't send books or pass on messages.