In Trees: An Exploration

by Robert Moor

“This is the most life-affirming book I’ve read in a long time.” —John Vaillant, National Book Award finalist for Fire Weather

Named a Best Book of the Year So Far The New Yorker • NPR • The Financial Times

From the acclaimed author of the New York Times bestseller On Trails comes a wondrous new journey through the wilds of nature and the gnarls of history, exploring how trees—from the mightiest sequoia to the tiniest bonsai—can teach us to grow wise.

One day, on a whim, Robert Moor set out to climb a tree near his home—unwittingly embarking on what would become a decade-long adventure of intellectual and spiritual transformation.

Pursuing the hidden wisdom of trees, he digs through forgotten archives, scales to the top of a giant sequoia with Sir David Attenborough, trudges through swamps in Papua to reach a treehouse-dwelling tribe of hunter-gatherers, and travels to a remote research camp in Tanzania, where he spends one very uncomfortable night sleeping in a chimpanzee nest. Galvanized by a radical new outlook on both our gnarled past and our ever-branching future, he ultimately falls in with a ragtag clan of climate activists risking everything to halt construction of an oil pipeline and save an old-growth forest.

Along the way, Moor learns the art of “treethinking,” which, he discovers, has the power to break open some of humanity’s oldest What is the secret to truly growing old? How do we set down roots in an increasingly chaotic world? Can we ever learn to pursue our future in the farsighted, deeply entangled manner of an ancient forest?

A witty, relentlessly curious excursion through philosophy, history, and science, what begins as an ode to the miracle of trees blossoms into a joyous, daring, and fiercely hopeful effort to “arborize humanity.”

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

384 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 7, 2026

Reviews

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is somewhat hard for me to categorize other than saying it is a non-fiction book about trees and the human life, well mostly. It’s somewhat philosophical, somewhat scientific, while also being partly autobiographic.

Each chapter, which can be lengthy, focus on different topic. The book doesn’t have a thesis or summation and the subtitle is perhaps very apt as it is an exploration of trees in a variety of ways.

It begins with the author and his personal experiences, first with climbing trees then with bonsai trees. One surprising chapter was genealogy based, looking at how family are like trees branching out, although it is more in-depth there than I’m summarizing here.

There was a chapter on the Korowai people who live in tree houses, and are mostly living as their people have done for thousands of years. The author does visit. There is a chapter on chimpanzees, who make nests in trees and of course Moor has to sleep the night in one. From there we move into tree-sitters and saving old growth. Moor volunteers a few stints then becomes quite involved in becoming an activist to save some old big trees in Canada.

I felt like the trees were more the launching pad for Moor’s discussions than be centrally focused. I didn’t mind some of the explorations, but a few of them I wasn’t too excited about.

Book rating: 3.5 stars


Thanks to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for an uncorrected electronic advance review copy of this book.

[theliterateleprechaun · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a compelling read for the first 50%. My highlighter went overtime. and I started to mentally make a list of all the people I thought would enjoy this book.

Then it shifted gears and I'll admit to losing interest slightly after the section on Kimura and the bonsai.

Fortunately, the first half of the novel was jampacked with everything I was looking for in a great read. The rest of the novel, for me, definitely relies on the strength of the first half. I still think it’s a five-star read…it just could have been trimmed.

Things I loved:
🌱Moor’s writing style - like a conversation
🌱The encouragement to define ‘tree’
🌱How bonsai cultivation relates to personal growth
🌱Reminder to see gnarls differently
🌱Overcoming limitations
🌱Difference between growing old and getting old
🌱Arborescence
🌱Julia Butterfly Hill’s advice
🌱Stealing Muir’s ‘scootchers’ term for my use
🌱Encouragement to stay wild

This is a therapeutic and medicinal read. I’ll remember this book for the encouragement to appreciate age and gnarly bits, to prioritize understanding meaning in our chaotic world, and to look at things in an arborescent way.

It was good to meet the author in person last night. How wonderful would it be if we could hear the author share about the book before we posted our review?!

I was gifted this copy and was under no obligation to provide a review.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5. In Trees is, truly, a book that lives up to its subtitle: through lengthy, meandering chapters, the author not only investigates trees – their biology, their roles in ecosystems – but also humans’ relationships with trees (cultivation, stewardship, tree climbing, the art of bonsai, conservation movements, tree sitting protests), how humans’ relationships can themselves be tree-like (genealogy, family trees, evolutionary branching), and some of the many lessons we might learn from our tree neighbours. Moor combines nature writing, philosophy, history, and autobiographical elements into a whole that, much like the trees he explores, is something greater and more complex than any of its parts. As a practicing Druid, I certainly have a particular affinity for trees and have spent a lot of time getting to know the trees in my neighbourhood and region especially; I enjoyed learning about trees from a range of geographical contexts, some of which I’d not heard of before, and also really appreciate the inclusion of a relational ethic and the author’s care in presenting Indigenous perspectives. I can tell as a reader how much time, thought, research, and reflection went into this book, and definitely recommend it.

I do wish that full citations and a bibliography had been included. The author mentions and quotes from numerous sources and has clearly researched extensively; it would be beneficial to have those sources listed with full citations to be able to follow up on them more easily.

Having enjoyed this book, I’ll absolutely pick up Moor’s previous title On Trails at some point.

Content warnings: discussions of colonialism, racism, cultural appropriation, & environmental destruction

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada, the author, and NetGalley for providing me an eARC to review.

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Moor's ten years of reading and thinking made this a rich mix. The book takes a fairly wide-ranging approach to trees, including family trees for instance. The range was exhilarating sometimes, for instance in the opening chapter on flexible thinking. Sometimes I just wanted more about the trees as plants. What I missed all the time were the footnotes. Moor usually mentions the title of the book quoted or referenced, but that is no help with hunting up for instance that essay by Calvino that sounds so interesting.

[Jackie McGinnis · Rating 5 out of 5]

In his newest book, a decade in the making, Robert Moore sets out to answer the question: Why do trees in particular have such a mythic hold on our imagination? Alongside that, with this cultural entanglement we have, how do trees transform and shape us?

His book is truly an exploration of trees. He begins in nature focusing on specific species like the sequoia and the different view of trees and the world when you climb them. Then, Moore branches out through the trees he explores and stories of the people he meets, sharing wisdom and observations of family trees, protests, and how we are connected. Perhaps most importantly, Moore shares the wisdom of rootedness from an indigenous tradition.

I enjoyed In Trees: An Exploration as a meandering meeting and discovering. Moore is a beautiful storyteller, perfect for lazy days or a fresh start to your morning.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the eARC. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Natasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 This is a book about trees. I, like many, have a deep respect and appreciation of trees, which Moor identifies as being a shared sentiment across cultures and generations. That being said, this book is also about humanity and our history, something that is more connected with trees than you might have originally considered - sometimes in very deep, traumatic, or inspirational ways. I think this is where the book lost me.

I really enjoyed the first 75-100 pages of this book. I was tabbing away, truly connecting with the writing, and thennnnn it lost me. The style of writing is definitely meandering storytelling. He did switch often between a specific experience he was referring to and then to a historical reference he would use to parallel the experience which I found to be helpful in getting through some of the material.

I think the author, Robert Moor, is probably an incredible person to talk to. His experiences are vast, and he clearly has a sense for adventure and passion for critical thinking. But, I don’t often pick up non-fiction and I found the pacing was too slow for me. I felt at times I was revisiting my university days and at this point of my life that’s just not the reading experience I go for. Nevertheless, there is lots of value within this text. I think for the right audience this would definitely be a five star read, for others like myself, there are definitely five star pieces if you have the patience.

Overall, I can definitely appreciate the message I think this author was trying to leave his readers with which is summed up great by his final words “branch wildly, prune carefully, widen your sense of kinship, deepen your sense of time, know history’s gnarls, embrace otherness, send down deep roots, die with grace. Grow, so that the earth might continue to grow.” Basically, we can all learn something from trees if we take the time to listen.

Thanks for my copy from Simon and Schuster Canada.

[Racheal · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a lovely collection of essays written by Robert Moor. I enjoyed picking this book up, reading a section (you can read them in order or out). There are a range of stories, from a focus on nature and trees to family relationships and other human experiences. I especially liked the chapter on his family history. It's a perfect book for reflection and would make a great gift!

[szreads · Rating 5 out of 5]

What is a tree? Before reading I’d say it’s those things outside. BUT NOW…everything is a tree. So move over John Green, no longer is everything tuberculosis…really everything is a tree.

Whether it’s a sequoia or bonsai or even the path of the human brain, everything can be a tree.

In Trees is a truly magical read for nature lovers and philosophers alike. Drawing on the author’s travels, historical research, and scientific insight, it weaves these elements together into a thoughtful and engaging exploration of trees. By the end, you’ll likely walk away with a deeper appreciation not only for trees themselves but for the wonder of the natural world around us.

Grounded in history, science, and philosophy, this book might just be the ultimate work on trees. The many references to major works throughout are a valuable resource on their own, but when paired with the author’s personal adventures and reflections, they transform the book into something truly enchanting.

It is clear so much research and love went into this book!

Thank you to Simon and Schuster for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Dan Van Sickle · Rating 5 out of 5]

An ecological hike through a philosophers mind, branching in so many beautiful directions. It’s about trees - but oh so much more than that. I was taken by the author’s honesty and thorough exploration of broad, complex, and “gnarled” concepts - especially the conflict between Indigenous and colonial worldviews. This literary journey was so very much worth it!

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some of the most beautiful writing on nature I’ve ever encountered. Moor is an incredibly talented writer and researcher who possesses a wide-ranging curiosity and deep love for his subject. Highly recommend.

[Jessica Tengco · Rating 5 out of 5]

I expected 𝘐𝘯 𝘛𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘴: 𝘈𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 by Robert Moor to be a nature book but it’s so much more than that. It’s about human nature, curiosity, and our deep (often overlooked) connection to the natural world.

Moor spent years immersing himself in this subject, and you can feel that dedication on every page. From learning to climb trees in the UK to sleeping in a chimpanzee nest in Tanzania, to visiting people who live in trees in Papua, his journey is as much personal as it is exploratory.

He even delves into his own family tree, tracing connections through generations, and then zooms out further back to explore the human family tree itself reaching all the way back to Lucy in Ethiopia, which adds a powerful perspective.

He also spent time staying in trees in protest against pipelines, something that hit especially close to home for me, as I live near where that took place in BC.

This isn’t a book that just gives you facts; it invites you to see and understand trees and our relationship with them differently.

Now I definitely need to pick up his other book, 𝘖𝘯 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘴.

Thank you so much to Simon and Schuster Canada for this physical arc. I had fun taking it out on a photo shoot in trees. This is one I’ll likely reread in future.

[Nancy Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many people are still beholden to what might be called “tower thinking,” which assumes that we humans are the natural apex of evolution. But tree thinking forces us to reject that comforting belief. There is no one pinnacle of evolution; there is a broad crown, and every living being is a part of it.

[Mariana · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘A tree is a way of persisting in a world of wounds.’

[Kimmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

got through most of it but not all of it; i just need to move on. but i liked this style of writing. some readers might not enjoy the genre-bending of it all but personally i loved the dynamism. i found a lot to like in this! wasn't particularly life-changing but i think i'm not the target demographic. i know there's a big crowd for this one. solid 3 stars.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

A tree, in other words, is not only a living being. It is also a way of being. Put very simply, that way of being—what philosophers call arborescence—consists of three simultaneous processes: branching, pruning, and gnarling. The result is something inventive, exacting, and long-lasting. Something wise.

“Learn good sense from a tree, O mind.” This line is taken from a Hindi bhajan, or hymn, that Mahatma Gandhi and his followers used to sing. When I ask myself how a person should live, this is the advice I now turn to: Learn to branch out like a tree, to let go like a tree, to weather hardship like a tree, to rise above like a tree, to set down roots like a tree. In a scarred and storm-battered world, we couldn’t hope to find wiser teachers.

In looking to trees for wisdom, my aim has never been to anthropomorphize them. Quite the opposite: I hope to arborize humanity.

After this book, for days, I have been thinking in trees, arborescing, letting my mind change its shape into roots, trunk and branches and leaves, enriching and amplifying the ultraview effect as read in the book about astronauts by Deana L. Weibel; the book fulfills every cell of the ultraview effect by abundant curiosity, fearless exploration, and lyrical writing. I love every tree I see and this book takes a wide, ultra wide, ultra, ultraview stance and shows us all how we can all be arborized. I

A tree is not just a thing made up of bark and leaves and sap and wood. At its core, a tree is not even really a noun. It is more like a verb. A tree is what a tree does. It is hard for us to perceive this fact, however, because most of the time, a tree does what it does so slowly. A mature oak tree, which might live for one thousand years, appears to be as unchanging as a mountain. But if we could watch the full life cycle of an oak play out in a few seconds, it would look as violent as a fireworks display: A single green tendril slithers up from the shell of an acorn and thrusts itself through the soil; it unfurls tiny leaves, then it sprouts branches; and then those branches branch, and branch, and branch again.

Some branches starve away or are torn off—pruned by wind, rain, ice, fire, pests, disease, and the gravitational pull of the earth itself—while others thicken and strengthen. Upward this thing (this process) erupts, until, in its final days, just before it comes crashing back down to earth, a keen botanist would be able to read it like a book, gleaning its entire history from its shape alone.
Over the course of my research, I eventually came to understand that there are many reasons why trees inspire such powerful feelings of reverence in us. Trees outlive us, expanding our sense of time; they tower over us, putting our lives into perspective; they provide for us, inspiring a sense of gratitude; and they trouble us, challenging us to embrace what John Fowles calls the “green chaos” of the more-than-human world.

Tree thinking begins when you learn to see the world as the result of an ongoing pattern of growth. This perceptual shift is somewhat hard to make. But, I’ve found, it is worth the effort, because, when it takes place, a cosmos of cold objects and abstract ideas is suddenly revealed to be a forest: entangled, ever-evolving, and eternally wild. Life, in short, is fundamentally arborescent. In order to make sense of it, it helps to think in trees.

The message of the Green Revelation was that an ancient forest was a source of both health and awe, a natural cathedral filled with strange wonders, and, perhaps, a portal to God. For those lofty reasons, as well as the more mundane exigencies of personal health and ecological stability, the wild was worth protecting. This sermon, delivered for the better part of two centuries, through sparkling prose and hyperreal cinematography, had saved a number of spectacular forests from clear-cutting. But it hadn’t radically altered the larger economic and political systems that were now incinerating those same forests.

[Rainey Straus · Rating 5 out of 5]

As an artist whose work is shaped by trees, I was delighted by Moor’s ability to give language to something I’ve been circling for years: the idea that tree-thinking, and thinking with trees, can help shift us from an anthropocentric orientation toward a more arboreal view of the world and perhaps toward a more flourishing planet.

I loved Moor’s branching odyssey across disciplines, from big-tree climbing to biology to tree-sitting, all in service of a kaleidoscopic understanding of trees and their ways of being. I also loved the book’s structure and its “-ing” chapter titles, which suggest life in motion rather than fixed states, and relationship rather than discrete entities.

In Trees: An Exploration is a generous, curious, beautifully felt book, both a meeting of tree and human thought and an invitation to pay closer attention to nonhuman beings and our relationships with them. For me, it felt like meeting a fellow student.

[Justjenn · Rating 1 out of 5]

How can someone who sees such greatness in trees.... believe in evolution?

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

The subject matter (trees) is deciptively simplistic. In many ways, Robert Moor's In Trees reads like an expanded New Yorker article and this book was ten years in the making. Trees (literal and figurative) are the connective tissue but, as a reader, I go along for the ride as Moor explores tree climbing, tree houses, family trees, tree huggers, tree growth and topics that expand from there - history, politics, environmentalism, the conservation movement, land management, agriculture, colonization, industrialization...He takes us around the world and across different terrain, climates, cultures and we meet incredible people along the way. Many are quirky, some are flawed, and all are passionate in some way. This is the kind of story where you learn something new at each turn or where you are introduced to a new way of looking at something that you might have taken for granted. In Trees was a contemplative and, at parts, meditative, read for me even as I absorbed a ton of information. Wow.

Many thanks to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for this e-ARC.

[Sally Rowe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It is a beautifully written and intellectually engaging recounting of the author's experiences of being in and among trees and forests. In the process of sharing his experiences, he questions and searches for answers to our relationship to our natural environment (including other humans!) and our responsibility to possibly change our mindset about it. But it is not dogma, he is simply raising thought-provoking questions. And there are plenty of amusing bits, too. I've read many garden and nature books, and this is wholly unique in his approach. His research and drawing upon literary and philosophical references is enriching. Highly recommend this book, and if you can, find his book tour schedule and maybe you'll get to hear him present in-person! (His earlier book, On Trails, is also marvelous!)

[Christine N · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished Robert Moor’s highly anticipated second book, In Trees, and it was a journey!

Deeply involved, I began each reading session feeling as though I was jumping into a wild forest. It took us all around the world and I learned so much from reading this. Absolutely loved it.

I think the flow of his first book, On Trails, was a bit better and it was easier to read. This book had like a 24th grade reading level and I found myself having to look up many of his esoteric jargony words, which broke the flow of the book for me.

I also think he spent just a bit too much time at the end talking about the treesitting and blockade at Fairy Creek- that anecdote alone was about 100 pages of the book.

Overall great read, but maybe tamp down on the difficult words for us plebs 🙂

[Denby · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fantastic read, and a great follow up to On Trails. If a book could be part David Attenborough, part Yuval Noah Harari, this would be it. Moore's storytelling somehow moves from vividly capturing the vertigo of tree climbing to serenely contemplating the human condition, taking the reader by storm with prose that honours the best traditions of America's literary naturalists. It's thoroughly pleasurable reading, a delightful escape from the hubbub of city life and a reminder to keep adventuring. I wish his books could go on forever. This would make a great gift or holiday read for anyone who lives nature.

[Deborah · Rating 5 out of 5]

“In Trees” is a must read you shouldn’t miss. Robert Moor invites us rethink how we view the world and our role in it. He uses his experiences living with and in trees trees to challenge us to stop, look and think about what role trees play in our world, above and below ground. Trees play an important part of in many childhoods, memories, religions, philosophies, inspiring awe by their size, canopy, and colors. He shows us how to use the wisdom of trees as a model for our lives, stewardship of the earth, stewardship of relationships and to understand what it means to grow old, versus getting old. This book is one you will read and reread and share.

[Brenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely adore this book. I had a feeling I would, since it's about trees, but Moor's writing is fantastic, and how he addresses the topic is also wonderful.

Moor talks about physical trees and the environment, but he also addresses family trees, genetic trees, and how trees are perceived in different cultures. He explores how trees are entwined with racism, art, capitalism, environmentalism, and activism.

This book is a well-rounded study of trees in many forms, and I want to reread it!

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely book that not only provides insight into forest conservation but also teaches us how we can learn from trees in order to live more "arborescent" lives. Through a combination of science, personal anecdotes, and Indigenous wisdom, Moor paints a vivid picture of how our choices and perspective on nature will impact forests and other ecosystems in the future.

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I like this style of writing -- reflective, dynamic, integrating the author's own experiences with broader topics that affect us all. His structure can be a bit meandering, especially the later chapters in the book, but at that point I was along for the ride and truly did not mind.

[Michael Barakiva · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about trees, of course, but is it about so many other things. It is historical and personal, rooted in history and research, and like a great New Yorker article makes you interested in the subject because the writing is so damn good.

[Margot LIVELY · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book ! Beautifully written, indepth, technical, researched, thoughtful and intuitive. Rob Moor took my often messy fragile toxic brain on a journey of learning to be and live like trees. It was a gift. The best is when he circles back and says "things are just things really"

[Alaina Ploski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Moor writes beautifully. It was so refreshing to read this book, which I felt was an honest exploration of all of the arborescent aspects of our own lives, and the varying degrees of impact we and trees have on one another literally, figuratively, metaphorically, etc. I highly recommend.

[Winston Solsrud · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exploration of anthropology, science, and history through a philosophical lens expressed by well written, personal anecdotes from the author’s travels and activism. A combination between Sapiens and Braiding Sweetgrass

[ML Icely · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent writing about trees- family trees and forests. Insight into protests, desperate need to care for our forests and sharing of essential Indigenous knowledge of how to care for nature. Perspective on life is inspiring for nature and for understanding of others