Pioneering Ecologist Suzanne Simard Releases New Scientific Memoir
In her bestselling scientific memoir Finding The Mother Tree, UBC professor of Forest Ecology Suzanne Simard revealed to the world that trees communicate and share resources through subterranean fungal networks. Now, with her new book When The Forest Breathes: Renewal And Resilience In The Natural World, Simard digs deep into how nature's cycles of renewal are fundamental to the endurance of our ecosystem.
A Deep Dive into Forest Renewal
Following up on her 2021 blockbuster, Simard's latest work continues the scientific memoir format, delivering rigorous science through relatable stories of dedication from a small team of ecologists and Indigenous community members skilled in traditional forest stewardship. The book offers warnings alongside a hopeful vision of what can be achieved by building more responsible relationships with the forests around us.
“In When The Forest Breathes, I talk about how we’re trying different ways of retaining old trees, of maintaining the legacies of the forests and the connections, of encouraging those connections,” said Simard. “Then I draw on Indigenous ways of knowing and seeing and valuing to show that we actually all have this understanding in us already, and then provide examples of how to do that using their ancestral practices.”
Humanity Intertwined with Nature
Simard reminds readers that humans are intrinsically part of the ecosystem. “We are one of many creatures in the forest. We belong there. We’re part of these cycles,” she said. “We are Mother Earth.”
The narrative is often vulnerable, settling around Simard’s own life, including her health struggles and the deaths of her mother and her colleague, PhD student and close friend Amanda Asay. “I use that memoir sort of approach to bring the humanity to science and to show that scientists are people, and we do this from our hearts,” said Simard. “It makes it interesting to read science when it’s woven with the human story.”
Film Adaptation and Upcoming Event
The success of Finding The Mother Tree caught Simard off guard; the book has been translated into 21 languages and optioned for a film adaptation by actor-producer Amy Adams’s production company. Simard will participate in a Vancouver Writers Fest event on May 21 at 7:30 p.m. at the Lindsay Family Stage on Granville Island.
The Power of Teamwork and Intergenerational Knowledge
Simard’s work highlights the interconnected world of the forest and the power of teamwork. “It’s an act of love. When we do this together, it’s a very joyful thing,” she said. The Mother Tree Project is a long-term endeavor: “This project is a 100-year project. In some places where the trees live to 500 years, it’s a 500-year project. So, it’s multi-generational, which means that these students being trained and doing the work, they have a responsibility to carry it forward. And that’s done on purpose.”
