How to Read a Tree

I have read several of Tristan Gooley’s fascinating ‘how to read nature’ books. In fact one is open on my desk right now—The Lost Art of Reading Nature’s Signs. All of Gooley’s books are chatty, readable explorations of nature for the armchair enthusiast. How to Read a Tree (2023) examines trees in the same relentless depth, digging into facets that sound obvious (like trunks and leaves) as well as those most of us don’t see but should (like the tree’s shape). Did you know that trees grow bigger on their southern side, or that a strong pale line down the middle of the leaves means there’s water nearby? Me either! Tristan not only noticed, but studied it with an enviable passion for understanding why, carried away by what goes on around him.

The chapter titles are as enticing as what’s contained in them:

A Tree is a Map
Wind Footprints
The Trunk
Bark Signs
Lost Maps and Tree Secrets

Who doesn’t want to find out how a tree is a map?

Gooley covers not just the endearing bits about trees (like why conifers don’t shed their leaves in winter) but the scientific details (like auxins and apical buds and epicormic sprouts) that will make you feel knowledgeable about this grandest of nature’s creatures. And then there are intriguing questions even I with my Masters and lifelong learner badge couldn’t answer:

Find a tree with a large low branch that you can just touch standing on tiptoe. … If you come back in five years, will you still be able to touch that branch? (No spoilers here)

Some of my favorite lines are:

“…the familiar rich whiff of verdancy and decay
“If the trees change, they are telling us that something else has also changed…”
“Whenever we step into woodland, there are certain patterns we can expect…”

To enhance the elegant pros, Tristan includes classic etchings of trees and their environs that added much to my understanding.

This book is highly recommended not just for tree lovers, but nature lovers who want to lose themselves in the scent and sights of the physical world. His down-to-earth voice and consummate respect for the topic puts this among the best nature writers and I’ve read many. I left this book wishing I could walk through a forest with Tristan Gooley and absorb his passion and love for this majestic part of nature.

Besides his books, Tristan offers a plethora of other resources on his website for exploring nature, from videos to classes (which I’ve taken), shorties, and quick topical documents. If you love nature and want to understand her better, anything by Tristan Gooley is a good start.

--received an ARC from NetGalley in return for an honest review

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book! I am a big fan of science and nature books and this one did not disappoint! The tone of the book is casual (this would be a great book to listen to on a hike), and yet it is full of details about every part of the tree. I came away with new knowledge, and can’t wait to put it to use in nature. There is even a detailed appendix at the end to help with specific tree identification. I loved this book from start to finish, and will for sure be gifting it to many friends when it comes out.

Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for the opportunity. My review opinion is my own.

I enjoyed this scientific review of trees and how they grow. The author has given the reader much to learn here about trees and you will conclude the book appreciating the trees around you with great interest. I found this wonderfully written to the subject and with much information we will apply to our enjoyment of trees. Well done to the author. I highly recommend this for all who appreciate the enviornment.

My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher The Experiment for an advanced copy of this book about trees, their place in nature and what they bring to our souls.

As humans spend less and less time in outdoors it seems easy to overlook nature's importance. Not just in keeping us alive, making air, which we pollute, water which we poison, and food which we do both to. Nature also gives us something that is harder to describe, a sense that there is a world bigger than a Twitter feud, that when we are gone, after killing everything around us, somehow, someway a sprout might pop up and nature, unlike humans will go on. Outdoor outfitters still make lots of money, people buy a lot of gear to go on walkabouts, but what can be seen through a phone on a pole, a pole that would be better making sure a person doesn't trip in the woods. Trees are important, with a life that we are just beginning to understand, and probably will never get to the bottom of. Tristan Gooley understands this, and this is why Gooley's works on nature are so important and more importantly fun. How to Read a Tree: Clues and Patterns from Bark to Leaves is both a guide to what a tree can tell us about the world around us, and with a simple message to all of us. Slow down, and take a look at the trees around yourself. They have much to teach.

The book begins with brief introduction about trees, the fact that no two trees are alike, and there are a lot of different trees in the world, and that no person can identify all of them. The book is mainly about trees in North America, England and Europe, but there are discussions on trees from around the world. There is a lot of different facts that I didn't know. Tall trees are more in the center of the forest, as the wind works constantly blowing branches off the outer trees, while ones further in can grow unbothered. If in England and needing to find a church, look for Yew tress, as churches used to grow them all the time in their gardens. Leaf patterns determine where water lies, and coloring can show where new growth is occuring on the tree.

Tristan Gooley looks at trees from both personal experiences and getting lost among them, and science. Gooley is gifted in the he can discourse quite easily from both sides without losing the narrative or sounding like a lecturer at a local library. A simple walk becomes a fantastic voyage, full of wonder, lore, facts and more. One learns much of course, usually about something the reader never thought about, or even knew to wonder about. The book if well written, with a style that never drags. One can open it up read the whole thing, or read a page here, a page there and a few more later, and still enjoy. And learn.

A book that is easy to read and yet full of information. Recommended for people who have curious nephews like myself who love to ask questions. Also for Mother's and Father's day to get parents and kids out in the wild, and reasons why to look at trees and hear some stories.

How to Read a Tree is an accessible and interesting nonfiction monograph on tree biology by naturist and author Tristan Gooley. Due out 2nd May 2023 from The Experiment, it's 384 pages and will be available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats.

This is layman accessible, science backed, and most importantly, very interesting. The author writes well and knowledgeably on the subject, teasing out little known facts about plant/tree physiology and the biology behind the mechanisms. He includes identification tips and tutorials about *why* the physical landscape is shaped the way it is, and how the local plant and animal life adapts (or doesn't) to the physical constraints.

The entire book was a joy to read and both information dense and effortless/fun. There are moments of profundity throughout.

The unabridged audiobook has a run time of 7 hours and 53 minutes and is narrated by the author himself. He has a well modulated educated English accent. Samples of his voicework can be accessed through Overdrive media. Though there was no access to the audiobook available for review, the sound and production quality for the other books in the series (also narrated by the author) are high throughout the recordings.

Five stars. This would be a superlative choice for public or secondary school acquisition, home use, or gift giving. Highly recommended.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

What a fantastic little book! Even after graduating from college with a degree in Natural Resources and a lifetime of outdoor adventures, I still learned a lot! Chock full of interesting information, easily readable, very fun! If you have any interest in the outdoors, you will find this to be a great read. And just think of how, next time you are sitting around a campfire, you will be able to impress your friends with some really cool knowledge!

Fun and interesting book that describes how trees grow and live. You will see trees in a whole new way!

How to Read a Tree by Tristan Gooley is an astonishing book about how to truly see trees and value them for their unique characteristics. As a nature fiend it became invaluable to me on the first page. This is the most practical, accessible and fascinating book I have ever read on the subject, so many questions answered and addresses questions I never knew I had! As Gooley says, once you know where and how to look, you cannot unsee the hundreds of clues they yield. Not only do we learn from what we see but what we don't.

I live in a stunning varied forest and am happily putting my newly-acquired tree reading skills to beautiful use. Amongst the information I learned so much stands out such as pioneer and climax trees, the distance sea air affects trees (I've wondered this for ages!), how different tree shapes reveal the environment, primary and secondary growth, expending of energy, Parasol Effect, the influence of sunlight, defender branches, the Southern Eye, "reaction wood", windthrow vs. windsnap (I had no idea!), "bulge" effect, root systems and tree family identification. Nature is incredible and has so much to teach us. We will never know it all which is a lovely thought.

If you are even remotely interested in learning more about trees and how they shape our world, this book is absolutely unmissable. The sheer amount of information contained is staggering. The author passionately shares his knowledge in his wonderfully easy conversational tone full of heart and depth. Illustrations are excellent help, too.

My sincere thank you to The Experiment and NetGalley for providing me with an early digital copy of this memorable book. It is truly life changing and enriching. I cannot begin to convey my gratitude for the joy it is bringing to my life!

Tristan Gooley's book was enlightening! It had all the information of a textbook, but was written in a much more approachable manner. The illustrations were simple line drawings that clearly demonstrated various concepts. I felt as if this book was calling me to slow down, walk through the woods, and notice the clues that trees provide.

Wow!
The book is a slow read because I want to memorize all of it.
Just fascinating explanations about why trees thrive where they do.
Clear text suitable for lay readers.

This is the first truly useful book about trees and, more importantly, the "why" of trees for the layperson. For example, I am looking out at a forest full of Cedar, Pine, and Fir right now. Gooley presents to the reader how to tell which is which and why these trees are where they are, why they aren't elsewhere, and how they grow and reproduce. Gooley would look through this stand of trees and show the reader that a bit over, there's a stand of Maple and Alder trees, and the reason they are there--a small creek runs through the land, and these trees will thrive nearer to a source of water.

We must have highly readable books like "How to Read a Tree," I would recommend this to anyone interested in trees and forest ecology, especially to those who might have been virtually chased away earlier by works expecting the reader to know "deciduous climax forest" when an explanation of "these are the trees in an old forest that lose their leaves every year."

Gooley keeps a high level of interest throughout the book. This is a book I would give to anyone who has an interest in the world around us.

Very Highly Recommended: Five Stars

One of the best books I have ever read - I can no longer look passively at a tree without Mr Gooley's insight coursing through my brain - this is a good thing! Nature is so much more involved and interconnected than most people ever begin to think. I would highly recommend this book to all who wish to learn more about the world around them, especially if you love trees (you will love them even more after this book!)

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the advance review copy. All opinions are my own!