Our Green Heart: The Soul and Science of Forests

by Diana Beresford-Kroeger

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.

As the last child in Ireland to receive a full Druidic education, Diana Beresford-Kroeger has brought an unusual and ancient holistic attitude to the science of trees, which has led her to many fresh insights into how closely we are tied to one another and to the natural world. Her influential message is to pay rapt attention to trees, because they are the green heart of the living world. Forests are our lungs, our medicine, our oxygen and the renewal of our soil. Planting the right trees in the right places, protecting the last virgin forests and working to create new ones is our best means to ensure a future for our children and grandchildren on this burning earth.

Each of the essays gathered in Our Green Heart show us a slice of the natural world through Diana's unique lens, illuminating the way our health, individually and as a species, is tied to the health of the forest—a tie we ignore at our peril. She maps the science that still needs to be done—there is so much we don't know about the ways trees and forests work—but also, eloquently, shows us the path to survival that her own science has revealed, the "bioplan" or blueprint for the connectivity of life in nature. If we realize that even the flowerpot on our doorstep is a natural habitat, and plant it according to its bioplan, we will be aiding and abetting life rather than destroying it.

Genres: Nonfiction, Nature, Science, Audiobook, Environment, Ecology, History

216 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2024

About the author

DIANA BERESFORD-KROEGER, a botanist, medical biochemist and self-defined "renegade scientist," brings together ethnobotany, horticulture, spirituality and alternative medicine to reveal a path toward better stewardship of the natural world. Diana's latest book is called The Sweetness of a Simple Life. A precise and poetic writer steeped in Gaelic storytelling traditions gathered from her childhood in Ireland, her previous books include The Global Forest, Arboretum Borealis: A Lifeline of the Planet, Arboretum America: A Philosophy of the Forest, A Garden for Life and a collection of stories, Time Will Tell. In 2010, Diana was inducted as a Wings Worldquest Fellow. The Utne Reader named her one of their Visionaries for 2011. She lives in Ontario, Canada, with her husband, surrounded by her research garden filled with rare and endangered species.

Reviews

[Jackie McGinnis]

I love the mix of Druidic wisdom, science, and stories of her botanical experiments. The chapters can twist and turn with so much information, but you encounter wonderful surprises! One moment I’m reading the science of why aspen trees sound the way they do, and the next moment I’m discovering why the celts included this tree in the Ogham alphabet.

I’ve read other books by Beresford-Kroeger, and, while some stories are repeated, they put into perspective new findings and wisdom.

Don’t forget… plant a tree, care for your plants. They need us, and we need them.

[Jalene Johnstone]

I have been doing a reforestation project on the public lands behind my house, planting natives, collecting my neighbors leaf bags and picking up free wood/logs off of Facebook marketplace to amend the soils, provide habitat and moisture for the soils. The land is along the second Welland canal, and has long been changed by human activity. I planted 230 trees in 2024; not something I had set out to do. I found that being amongst the trees that are there, doing something proactive in all the destruction and despair in the world, has been a great medicine for me. I joined a group called Arbor STC, and found that this small and new group made a big impact on poor decisions being made towards the city canopy, and stopped public arborist jobs from being privatized. Having not been raised in this city, I found that our planting of trees was where we really started to meet our neighbors. The project has been life changing for me.
I've always been fascinated with the Druids/Celts since I was a child, and whilst I'm an electrician, I have always had a great love of science. All of that to say, that Diana's book sung to me. Getting to learn about the scientific knowledge of how trees hear, why horses roll in the grass, and how our global forests provide a moisture umbrella that reflect radiation back into space, has been really eye opening. The beauty of how she writes, of how she merges her upbringing with botany, chemistry and medicine, is sublime.
Extremely inspiring read to kick off 2025.

[Zahra]

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

At the start of reading Beresford-Kroeger’s work, I was hesitant, as I was worried that it would be based in less-than-scientific reasoning. I don’t know why I assumed that, now that I’ve finished reading it. Truly, this work is a reflection of the author’s hope. She leads the reader on a meandering path which brings you to a call to action. It is an easy call to answer, all things considered. Plant a tree once a year for six years. A native oak, if possible.

As I write this review, I’m sitting on a picnic blanket in the shade of a willow tree the author so often described. This book changed the way I view these trees. Mostly, it gave me a sense of peace and hope. Change is possible. Humans caused climate change, but humans can also undo climate change. We must protect our forests.

Please read this book if you have been unsettled by the recent news about our agricultural future. Diana will give you hope. You can make a difference in the world.

[Lynn]

Dr. Diana Beresford-Kroeger is a botanist whose ongoing mission is to clone and map the forests of the world. Think on that for a minute. This is a woman who is working diligently to save our rapidly vanishing forests. She is a tireless champion of nature and in this short book of essays she expounds on why healthy forests are essential for the life of all species on earth.

The writing is beautiful and the importance of her work can never be underestimated.

[Shirleynature]

Much gratitude to Diana Beresford-Kroeger, publisher, and Libro.fm @librofm for generously providing access to an Audiobook Listening Copy (ALC)! With vast knowledge offered, I'll be revisiting this text and recommending to many more Earth & tree loving readers 🌏 🍁

[Brooklyn]

3.75 stars.
An intriguing read, and mix of Druidic perspective with biochemistry! Diana Beresford-Kroeger certainly knows her stuff, and her enthusiasm for revitalization of forests & human engagement in battling climate change was palpable.

I’m not sure if perhaps this was too busy a time for me to sink my teeth into this, or if the biochemistry was just too beyond my reach, but I struggled to really engage with this book. I found myself a bit disengaged when high-level chemistry or tree makeup was detailed, and at times found it hard to jump with Beresford-Kroeger to the next topic because of this. I will also admit, I struggled with some of the claims of tree aerosols preventing childhood cancer, or reducing chronic health conditions, and though I understand this relates to her Druidic perspective, I feel these topics warranted the scientific rigor she applied elsewhere in the novel.

Maybe I will want to revisit this in a time where I can really get into the scientific lens of this and learn more thoroughly, but for now, the highest value for me was learning from the personal stories Beresford-Kroeger’s early education, and travelling to learn from other environmental stewards.

[Nathaniel]

What a powerful, poetic work. Reading the author talk about how much she loves poetry (near the end) made this whole book click because this is nature poetry wrapped up in science. The descriptions are lush and so good I could eat this book. I'm such a fan. I need to read more from Diana.

[Ashley Wetklow]

It took me a while to finish this but that is because I used it as a little “purse book” that I read during errands, appointments, etc. Each time I opened it I felt like I was taking a breath of fresh air.

One part spoke to me and it discussed the sensations we feel while in a forest and how we are with a lifetime of connection beyond language. She explains how all 5 senses are stimulated when standing in a forest and the amount of silence actually increases cortisol which in turn switches senses into high alertness. I found this interesting at first then realized this actually explains how I feel so grounded and deeply connected to my inner self and Mother Earth when in the forest and mountains.

The author is incredibly smart and goes into specific detail at times about trees and how their genomes are being impacted by climate change. I’m not sure I’ll retain a whole lot but I do think I’ll read her other books with time!

[Jennifer]

Words can’t express how important this book is, and how much I think everyone needs to read it. We hear about climate change all the time - taxing billionaires, stopping greenhouse emissions, going vegan to help the environment, blah blah blah. But this book truly breaks down what is happening in our forests at a molecular level. Why the eradication of our forests is killing trees we don’t even fully understand yet. How the decreasing forests are impacting sunlight refraction and heating up our soil, which lacks replenishment due to lack of forest dead fall. How non-native tree species in areas like California are literally just a powder-keg waiting to explode in increasing temperatures. The science of how we’re killing our planet is terrifying. But there’s hope - and we can do it by planting trees, practicing safe and Indigenous-led forest maintenance, and preserving the virgin and vital forests we have, like the Boreal forest.

I love and appreciate the author’s history of growing up in Ireland under the tutelage of community in the old Brehon Druidic knowledge. I’ve come to my love and education of tree wisdom through ancestry and curiosity about Ogham and Irish folk magic, now finding myself delving into the wisdom and medicine of our forests. Diana’s last two books have woven the ancient and modern knowledge beautifully. She has so wonderfully given the trees a voice and expressed their soul.

[Mattie Kavanagh]

That was beautiful! I have so much respect for the author. She so artfully weaves together history, personal narrative, and fact. The audiobook reading was like listening to music — her voice is beautiful. The writing educated me, entertained me, and inspired me. I can’t express how much I loved this book without being repetitive, but I look forward to reading more of her work.

[Meghan King]

If you don’t have a background in Science this book will be a little tougher to follow, but it is AMAZING. I got so many goosebumps and a few tears were shed when it was finished. This is a must-read.

[Nathan Budd]

Lovely mix of poetry and fact, culture and science. It fills a similar niche to Braiding Sweetgrass, but through a different cultural lens that values nature and trees just as much. Read this book and plant some trees

[Lolz]

Fascinating facts that will amaze you. Clear vision that will inspire you. This book builds on ‘To Speak for the Trees’ and it was great 👏🏽

[rachkatreads]

*3.5
This felt a bit repetitive at times but it was filled with fascinating information.

[Jolene Bear]

This one was a slow burn for me. A few great chapters, but definitely not my favourite book on the subject.

[Margueritte]

DNF. Too biologically in depth. Repetitive. The chapters are short and there is a lot of interesting information, but I couldn’t get into it.

[Candace Jackson]

This book was just not gripping me at all. I gave it 1.5 hours of the audiobook but felt that I wasn't learning anything nor was it that interesting to me, even though I am an avid nature enjoyer. This may be better enjoyed by someone without a science background.

[cailin]

Honestly nothing groundbreaking… it had all the same concepts that’s are typically in climate change/protect the planet books.

[Rhia]

1) Trees and poetry are a lot more alike than you'd think.
2) Essays can be tiny jewels.
3) Plant Science has a lot of silly words.
4) Plant a tree.

[Angelee]

1.5 - I was really looking forward to this book. I don’t know what I was looking for in this book, but whatever was in this book was not it.

[Meggo]

ho is u the Lorax

[Ray Diamond]

(audiobook) I love when a scientist narrates their own work, you can feel how passionate they are

[Jessica]

I love reading nature & science books but this one felt meh 🫤 I struggled to pick it up and want to continue to read it. Some interesting and important info but it definitely felt disjointed at times.

[emma rowan]

finishing this while learning the planet will warm 1.8 degrees in the next four years 😊 at least i know how to plant a tree 😊

[Kelly Monk]

“Life is a vestment to be worn with grace and love.”

[Liesl]

I loved this book so much I am listening to it all over again. It is fascinating, enlightening, and I want to plant some trees every year for the rest of my life.

[Nicole Bergen]

Trees are phenomenal. I will definitely reread this book, probably more than once. It’s absolutely fascinating and the writing is engaging.

[Liz]

4.5 stars

[Sarah Goethem]

A real treasure. Everyone should read this.

[Patrick Kelly]

This was a beautiful book, all about trees. I was not paying much attention. There was a ton of wonderful information that I would like to absorb.

I need to reread this.