Peter Wohlleben

With his skill for making ecological topics accessible for a broad readership, German forester and author Peter Wohlleben has been called ‘a veritable tree whisperer’ and become a powerful advocate for the natural world....

Born in 1964, Wohlleben was working as a wood ranger for the government in the late 1980s when his eyes were opened to the way trees were being managed using destructive techniques and insecticides. By 1991 he had accepted a job caring for the forestland of a small village in the Eifel mountains, moving into a lodge there with his wife Miriam and the determination that they would become as self-sufficient as possible. His autobiographical Our Little Farm, co-authored with Miriam, recalls how they rejuvenated the land and extended the vegetable garden, which had largely been given over to farming Christmas trees, from eight square metres to 300.

With over twenty years of experience behind him, and a desperation to see woodland cared for in a more compassionate manner, Wohlleben began to write about ecology and the 2016 English translation of his The Hidden Life of Trees brought him international attention. Its anthropological terminology was criticized by some but the ideas he discussed, such as Suzanne Simard’s work on the mycorrhizal networks between trees – the so-called Wood Wide Web – captured the public’s imagination.

While continuing to write popular science books, including The Heartbeat of Trees (2021), The Power of Trees (2023) with its exploration of the connection between forestry and climate change, and titles for children, Wohlleben has developed his forest academy. It now employs several teaching staff, runs a wide range of courses and supports global conservation initiatives. Official recognition for Wohlleben’s work has come in the form of multiple awards, among them the prestigious Heinz Sielmann Award and the Bavarian Nature Conservation Medal.