Why Trees Matter for All Life

In this 2026 interview with Justine Willis Toms, Ancient Celtic wisdom-keeper and scientist Diana Beresford-Kroeger reveals how forests regulate climate, oceans, oxygen, and human health. She shares a simple global “bioplan” of tree planting to help heal our warming planet.
Diana Beresford-Kroeger, Ph.D. is an Irish-born botanist, medical biochemist, and author who bridges cutting-edge science with ancient Celtic wisdom about trees and forests. Orphaned in Ireland and taught by her elders in the Brehon and Druidic traditions, she has become a globally recognized voice for the protection of the world’s forests and an early visionary on climate change. Through her scientific work and her “Bioplan” for replanting the global forest, Dr. Beresford-Kroeger invites ordinary people to enter into a renewed, reciprocal relationship with trees as vital allies in healing the planet. Her books include:
Arboretum America (University of Michigan 2003)The Global Forest: Forty Ways Trees Can Save Us (Penguin Books 2011)The Sweetness of a Simple Life (Random House 2015)To Speak for the Trees (Random House Canada 2019)Our Green Heart: The Soul and Science of Forests (Random House Canada 2024)
Her Documentary film is Call of the Forest: The Forgotten Wisdom of Trees
Interview Date: 6/19/2026    Tags: Diana Beresford-Kroeger, Patrice (Rocky) Donoghue, Sunday’s Well, forest restoration, tree planting, climate change, Irish Penal Laws, Celtic wisdom, bioplan, oxygen production, fulvic acid, algae, Pimachiowin Aki UNESCO World Heritage Site, Bloodvein River, serotonin, glucose, redwoods, sequoias, ancient knowledge, biodiversity, photosynthesis, cancer prevention, environmental sustainability, global forest, silence of the forest, Mother Tree, ancestral knowledge, ocean-forest connection, Ecology/Environment/Nature, Indigenous Wisdom, Science