“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

About The Author

Marina Richie's writing career began in the early 1980s as a reporter for a weekly newspaper in northeastern Oregon. That led to a journalism master’s degree in 1988 from the University of Montana, a complement to her undergraduate degree in biology from the University of Oregon in 1981. Halcyon Journey was her first book for adults, and it earned the 2024 John Burroughs Medal, a National Outdoor Book Award (gold) and a Foreword Indies Award (silver). She has written two children’s books (under a prior name), Bird Feats of Montana and Bug Feats of Montana. The latter was selected as the one Montana book to represent the state at the National Book Fair in Washington, D.C. in 2009. 

She has worked as a journalist, writer of interpretive signs, wildlife viewing coordinator, and communications director for national wildlife initiatives—Teaming With Wildlife and the Sage Grouse Initiative (2011-2015). She's written for the National Wildlife Federation, National Audubon Society, Appalachian Trail Conservancy, American Birding Association, National Wildlife Refuges, and Oregon Wild. She gives environmental presentations, teaches nature writing workshops, and serves on the board of the Greater Hells Canyon Council.