Forty Ways to Know a Tree: Exploring Trees to Understand Nature

Discover the incredible life of trees through forty eye-opening short essays that explore trees as miraculous, living, breathing protectors of our Earth. Environmental activist and author Joan Maloof's elegant writing turns science into storytelling.

There are an estimated three trillion trees in the world, half as many as there once were. To honor and protect these vital organisms, a shift in perspective can help expand our understanding beyond simply appreciating trees' remarkable beauty to discovering the ways they are inextricably connected to our planet, our fellow species, and our spirits.

Within these pages, biologist Joan Maloof offers forty distinct ways of encountering, exploring, and learning about a tree. Through engaging, impassioned essays, paired with beautiful watercolor illustrations, she invites us to get to know a tree:

• By its leaves, whether it is needle-leaved or broad-leaved. Leaves can also be different on an individual tree; for example, those on the lower part, called shade leaves, tend to be larger to catch what sunlight they can.
• Through its rings, the only sure way of telling its age. The oldest documented tree ever counted was a bristlecone with 4,500 rings.
• From its birds. For example, avian migration is driven by how weather affects trees, like the honey mesquite trees' yellow blooms that cue migratory birds to stop and feed on the spiders found in their blossoms.
• By its song, either through the many organisms living there or the wind moving through its branches and leaves. Trees sound different in winter and summer, and healthy trees sound different than sick ones.
• And so much more.

Each profile is illustrated with a particular species, representing dozens from all around the world, which combine to create a broader canvas of tree knowledge. This book celebrates the tree itself, with its many roles and parts, as well as its invaluable services to humans and wildlife--providing food, shelter, clean air, water, and, to many, simple joy.

EMBRACING TREES: Increasing awareness of climate change and the environment, as well as new research about their complexity, has brought trees into the spotlight of popular culture. For readers who loved The Hidden Life of Trees and The Serviceberry, this book is an excellent, accessible complement, with immersive storytelling and gorgeous illustrations and photographs.

AUTHOR EXPERTISE: Joan Maloof is an award-winning author, environmental activist, and recognized tree expert with five previous books on the subject. She founded the Old-Growth Forest Network to preserve, protect, and promote the country's few remaining stands of old-growth forest.

BEAUTIFUL, ENGAGING CONTENT: Readers will learn surprising new facts about trees, exploring their essence from birth, roots, bark, and shape to colors, fragrance, sap, and song. Sara Nunan's elegant watercolors provide an artistic and colorful addition to Maloof's beautiful text.

Perfect for:

• Nature lovers
• Botanists
• Hikers, campers, and lovers of the outdoors
• Science enthusiasts
• Gift-givers seeking beautiful nonfiction books for Mother's Day, Father's Day, Graduation, birthdays, holidays, and more

Author: Joan Maloof
Publisher: Princeton Architectural Press
Published: 04/07/2026
Pages: 192
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.15lbs
Size: 8.61h x 6.01w x 0.91d
ISBN: 9781797238036


Review Citation(s):
Library Journal 03/01/2026 pg. 117
Booklist 03/01/2026

About the Author

Joan Maloof is Professor Emeritus of Biology at Salisbury University, Maryland, and founder of the Old-Growth Forest Network, which is working to create a national network of protected old-growth woodlands. Her work has been featured in the New York Times and Washington Post, and she is the recipient of such prizes as the 2014 Mary Byrd Davis Award. She is the author of Treepedia, Nature's Temples, The Living Forest, Teaching the Trees, and Among the Ancients.

Sara Nunan is an artist and illustrator from the UK. She works from a small studio in the heart of Dartmoor National Park, whose stunning landscapes and abundant wildlife inspire her paintings.