Suzanne Simard

Finding the Mother Tree

1. IDEA 1

   Forests are connected networks

   Simard, a forest ecologist from British Columbia, describes her research showing that trees are linked underground through fungal networks. She argues that forests are cooperative systems, not just collections of competing trees.

2. IDEA 2

   Fungi link the roots

   Simard explains how mycorrhizal fungi connect the roots of different trees. Through these links, nutrients and signals may pass between them. In her account, this underground web helps explain why forests may behave more like communities than collections of separate trees.

3. IDEA 3

   Big old trees support others

   Simard describes mother trees, large old trees that she argues help support younger trees through the network. In her account, such a tree has many roots and links, which may let it send nutrients to seedlings growing in its shade.

All 8 ideas from Finding the Mother Tree →