There’s nothing quite like some good info.
Articles, Reports & Research
A few great online resources, reports and research to help guide you through your nature loving experience!
Books
Here's a collection of my absolute favorite books about all things nature.
Instead of giving you links giant monopolizing monsters like Amazon, I've decided to give you some options for supporting quality local bookstores! If you choose to buy in Canada, you'll be directed to Massy Books, a local Indigenous-owned bookstore in Vancouver. If you choose to buy in the States, you'll be directed to Bishop & Wilde, a good friends local startup bookstore in Portland Oregon. Support local and keep nature neat - it's a win / win!
“Braiding Sweetgrass” by Robin Wall Kimmerer
This should be mandatory reading for all human-people all across turtle island, straight up. Not sure where to even start with this one, only that it is the most poetically beautiful piece of literature that brilliantly intertwines Indigenous wisdom with scientific knowledge in addressing some very pressing environmental and social issues we face today.
"Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast" by Jim Pojar & Andrew McKinnon
Hands down one of, if not the best field guide for identifying and understanding much of the flora around Cascadia - I take this one everywhere with me!
"Trees in Canada" by John Laird Farrar
An amazing guide to trees all across Canada (and thus, North America) with great information and some really incredible imagery that makes ID a piece of cake!
"Being Ecological" by Timothy Morton
Timothy Morton is one of my favourite modern philosophers who does a lot of work around ecology and mxnkinds place in the world. One of the most eye opening and inspiring books today when it comes to tackling issues related to Climate Change and how we, as a species and fellow living thing on this planet, can go about living with everything else on this planet. Timothy is an amazing author and this is a great introduction to their work!
"Finding The Mother Tree" by Suzanne Simard
One of the most well known forest scientists of today, Suzanne is responsible for some of the most revolutionary discoveries about Oldgrowth Forests that have come about in the last 20 years. This book talks about those discoveries and how they came about through a biography of her life, full of some amazing observations on forests and their connections to humanity, this book is also loaded with wisdom and metaphors for how us humans can live our lives in a better way.
"Gathering Moss" by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Ouf, this book changed my life almost as much as 'Braiding Sweetgrass'. A great introspective look at the role of mosses in our world, and all the great poetic and metaphorical things we can learn from their small, elegant existence.
"Ground Truthing" by Derrick Stacey Denholm
One of my favourite books of all time! Derrick is a poet and forester based on the North Coast of BC, and his work is truly thought provoking when it comes to how we (humans) interact with and value ecosystems from economic, artistic, spiritual and cultural perspectives. A seriously incredible read that I recommend to everyone!
"The Golden Spruce" by John Valliant
A great book based on the true story of Grant Hadwin, a logger who cut down a rare golden Spruce up on Haida Gwaii to make a statement about forestry practices. This is an amazing story that does a great job of explaining various perspectives while written in an engaging, provocative way. There was also a documentary based on this book called "Hadwins Judgement" which is also pretty good!
"The Final Forest" by William Dietrich
A great story about logging in Forks, Washington, and how the Timber Wars impacted the United States Forest Industry. Engaging and informative, history is always a great thing to understand!
"The Hidden Life of Trees" by Peter Wohlleben
A great, easy and joyful read that dives into some of the wonder that trees are.
Books for Kids
"The Wild World Handbook: Habitats" by Andrea Debbink
This whole series is amazing! A great illustrated and yet incredibly informative book about ecosystems and their function. Heck, I've learned a lot from these books, they're great!
"The Wild World Handbook: Creatures" by Andrea Debbink
The second part of this series is all about Creatures and how we all can protect non-human people throughout the world.
Podcasts & Videos
Podcasts and videos are another great resource for connecting to the great outdoors, and here are some of my favorite shows & episodes!
"Threshold" Podcast
An incredibly informative and deep, journalistic dive into some really important issues these days with great coverage from all angles. Each season covers a new topic - season 1 is one of my favorites!
"How to Save a Planet" Podcast
Fun, quirky, uplifting and yet strikingly informational. A great podcast for the modern era of climate change that we find ourselves in.
"The Wild" Podcast
The Wild is a great podcast that covers various topics and subjects related to the wilderness around us, and our place amongst it. Really well produced series that I absolutely love!
"Completely Arbortrary" Podcast
Whew - such an awesome, fun podcast all about different trees! Hosted by the legendary Casey Clapp and Alex Crowson, this is a super engaging and informative show!
"PBS Eons" Show
OMG one of my favorite shows on natural history, with all sorts of cool episodes ranging from dinosaurs to plants - its the coolest!
"ASAP Science" Show
Probably one of the funniest, most easily accessible science shows that exists - these folks are great!
