Feathered Forest (Aloft with Birds in Ancient Trees)

“Luminous.”—Bill McKibben, author of Here Comes the Sun

Acclaimed nature writer Marina Richie guides us into a vertical world of old-growth forests through the eyes of the birds that inhabit them—exploring her journey as an environmentalist in her signature verdant prose.

With exquisite prose and meticulous research, Marina Richie interweaves memoir with clear-eyed notes on ecology to create an engaging blend of scientific and soulful observations.

In Feathered Forest, birds are our guides to a vertical world of ancient trees that spans both sides of the Cascade Mountains. Within centuries-old groves that are critical refugia in a time of climate crisis, these winged messengers show us a better way to steward our threatened landscapes. Just as a forest transitions upward from understory to midstory to overstory, so too does the trajectory of Richie’s life—from the protective cover of adolescence to the precarious yet light-filled canopy of adulthood.

Richie’s love for the wilds unfurls in poetic phrasing, and her call to protect our last old-growth trees is resounding and clear.

A narrative of perception change, memoir, and kinship, Feathered Forest is a soaring ode to birds and wild trees.

"A lyrical new book . . .the author spins a story web out of ecology, bird behavior, discussions with forest and bird researchers, and her own observations . . .All make this perfect for sampling chapter by chapter and learning about connections we never considered before."—Booklist