Tree book makes New York Times bestseller lists

MOUNT VERNON, Wash. – A book by Jane Billinghurst, master gardener in Skagit County for Washington State University Extension, recently reached No. 5 on the New York Times bestseller list for hardcover nonfiction and number 7 on the Sunday Times list.

The work is her English translation of “The Hidden Life of Trees,” an international bestseller by German forester and author Peter Wohlleben.

In the book, Wohlleben makes the case that the forest is a social network. He draws on groundbreaking scientific discoveries to describe how trees are like human families. Read more on National Public Radio.

“With their newfound understanding of the delightfully complex life of trees, readers will never be able to look at a walk in the woods the same way again,” Billinghurst said.

She grew up in the U.K., holds an M.A. in German and philosophy from Oxford University, worked in book publishing in the U.K., U.S. and Canada and in retirement trained to become a master gardener. She was named Master Gardener of the Year for Washington by the Washington State Master Gardener Foundation in 2012.