Jane Billinghurst is a nature lover, master gardener, editor, translator, and author of six books. She has translated and edited several books by Peter Wohlleben, including the New York Times bestseller The Hidden Life of Trees. She lives in Anacortes, Washington, next to 2,800 acres of community forest lands.
Walking in the woods and using all five senses to explore your surroundings is immersive and restorative. Forest Walking teaches how to get the most out of your next adventure by becoming a forest detective, decoding nature’s signs and awakening to the ancient past and thrilling present of the ecosystem.
Interviewed by Margaret Lonsdale
Margaret Lonsdale (ML): Peter Wohlleben speaks of an epiphany that altered his attitude toward the forest and changed his career path as a forester. How has your association with Peter since 2015 changed how you move through and experience the forest?
Jane Billinghurst (JB): I’ve always enjoyed forest walks. However, before working with Peter, I used to concentrate either on chatting with my walking partners or on the length and speed of the hike. I did not enjoy hiking on my own. These days, instead of approaching a hike as exercise in the fresh air, I see it as a voyage of discovery where my goal is to see something I have never seen before. I now enjoy (maybe even prefer?) walking in the woods on my own as it allows me to slow down and really look. I used to be a fast hiker, now there can be times where I barely move from the spot—and I can be gone for hours.
ML: Has your heightened awareness altered the way you approach your gardening?
JB: I value the wild corners of my yard and enjoy them just as much as the more manicured spaces. I get excited when lichen appears on wood or when spider eggs hatch. These days, I’m more interested in plants that nurture a diversity of bird and animal life and less interested in formal layouts. I intervene less and let the garden get on with it on its own as much as possible.
ML: What were your respective roles in researching and writing Forest Walking and why does the division of roles work so well?
JB: Peter is the expert; I am the one learning for the first time. He lays the framework and I fill in with the experience of learning to look at forests differently, guided by his knowledge and experience. We hope this approach will work for readers who, like me, may well be experiencing some aspects of forests for the first time.
ML: Why is Forest Walking a timely book and who do you hope will read it?
JB: Since the pandemic, we are all learning to explore closer to home and spend more time out and about in our local communities. There is an amazing variety of life on our doorsteps: at home, in city parks, in forests. Peter and I hope this book will encourage people who are just embarking on their own forest journeys and help them discover ways to engage with the forest that are meaningful and fun for them.
ML: The content is rich in detail but the chapters are relatively brief. Is this significant?
JB: Short chapters are easier to digest and give a sense of the great variety that is out there in the forest. Everyone’s forest journey will be different, and this book is a sampler of ways you could approach the forest. It is designed to spark ideas readers can expand upon on their own.
ML: Why ought humans become more vested in acquiring an understanding of the layers of life present in the forest?
JB: I think it’s important to shift from the idea of a forest as a static system to an understanding that it’s a dynamic ecosystem that changes by the minute where different levels of life each contribute to the system working as a whole. Think of those games where you remove a block or a stick and see how many you can remove before the whole pile collapses. In some ways a forest is like that. With each element you remove, the system becomes more unstable until, eventually, it collapses. But in a forest, each element is not an object but a living organism with its own life trajectory, goals, habits, and behaviors. These are all fascinating to learn about—either just to know they are there or to dive in deep to see how each contributes, whichever suits you best at a particular time in your life. An understanding that the forest and the lifeforms within it change with the seasons, the weather, and the time of day, helps us understand how complex natural systems are and how easily we can damage them without even realizing the harm we are doing.
ML: What do we miss if we ignore the invitation to explore and become more familiar with the forest?
JB: If we don’t slow down and pay attention, we miss wonder, beauty, fun. There are so many things I used to walk past and not even notice. For example, one day someone posted the most beautiful leaf pattern on social media. I was determined to find one of those leaves no matter how long it took. The next day I stepped into the forest and almost immediately I noticed these patterned leaves scattered on the ground. They were there all the time. I hadn’t known about them and so I hadn’t seen them. Now I love to find the discarded brown leaves of low-growing Oregon grape decorated with beautiful map fungus, which is what this treasure turned out to be. We also miss signs of animal life all around us. While in Algonquin Park, I learned that black bears make nests in trees. Not literal nests, but when they snap off small branches to reach fruits and nuts, the debris can build up into a nest shape high in the tree. If you know this, you can look for bear nests and understand a bit about how bears have been using the forest around you—even if you never lay eyes on a live bear. It’s satisfying to get a deeper understanding of the place where you live and discover what parts of the natural environment make it special and different from other places.
ML: What is the role of education in developing a deeper understanding of our connection with nature and the significance of that connection?
JB: The study of nature in school is important because we owe our existence to well-functioning natural systems. This is also an area that lends itself beautifully to self-guided learning. In the book, Peter suggests some ways to introduce children to the forest through games and activities. Provincial and state parks put out amazing information that you can access for free. Rangers hold talks to enhance your experience. You can set your own pace and choose your own areas of expertise.
ML: What can a forest tell us about ourselves?
JB: Forests are great places to slow down. When you slow down and walk, the mind is free to wander. Who knows where that journey might take you? Forest walks are also a great opportunity for heart-to-heart talks with family or friends. The relaxing pace and atmosphere help everyone become more thoughtful and in tune with their feelings.
ML: Have you tried the pine tree gum referred to in Chapter 9?
JB: Different people find different things to enjoy in the forest, which is why this book is such a great introduction, offering ideas people can pursue. Lots of people like to forage and eat things from the wild. I don’t. I’d prefer to smell the resin rather than to turn it into chewing gum. For someone else, this might be just the kind of thing they’d like to try.
ML: What has been one of your favourite discoveries of the forest so far?
JB: Slime molds win hands down. Don’t even get me started! These fascinating life forms are not animals, or fungi, or plants. They are categorized as protista and they move to find food. When they are ready to reproduce, they find an elevated spot, stop moving, and form spore heads. Some are tiny; others, like dog vomit slime mold, are hard to miss. Once you start to look (and realize what they are), you find them all over moist, shady forests. They come in different colors, shapes, and forms, and they can change color, shape, and form within hours. I love going out to find them and then coming back to check on how they are progressing. Once they have released their spores, they disappear completely, leaving no trace.
ML: What project will you and Peter embark upon next?
JB: Peter has a new book coming out in the spring, The Promise of Trees. It’s about how trees learn and why ancient trees and intact forests left to mature naturally are so important in these times of climate change. I am also working with him on a middle reader about nature in the city called What’s Wild Outside Your Door? And a nature activity book for children. In all these projects, however, I am partnering with Peter as a translator and editor for the English-language editions not as a co-writer.
ML: When will you next venture into the forest?
JB: I venture into the forest every day when I can. I’m actually beginning to notice how much I miss my daily immersion when I travel. I was just up on a boat trip in Alaska. I loved being on the water, but when we did a forest hike one day, I realized that I was in a space where I felt completely at home, even though the forests in southeastern Alaska are different from the forests I usually walk. Each forest is unique, actually, even the ones close to my home. So, of course, I have to check them all out and figure out what makes them different. And, as I mentioned earlier, forests change by season, the time of day, and the weather, so even if I am checking out a familiar trail, I know I will see something new.