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


Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Chelsea Green Publishing Company
Published: 09/08/2026
ISBN: 9781645022954
Pages: 240
Weight: 1.25lbs

Review Citations: Booklist 07/01/2026