Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest
- Downloads：2921
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-05-24 10:19:29
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Suzanne Simard
- ISBN：0593459423
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Clement Kent
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Debuting in fourth place on the New York Times Best Seller list for hardcover non-fiction is not bad at all for a book on fungi and trees。 Keeping me reading avidly throughout three hundred pages is pretty good。 But changing the present and future course of how we plant， care for， and harvest trees will be the best impact of all for this book by UBC forest scientist Suzanne Simard。I knew enough about Simard to buy two copies， one for keeping and the other for circulating among friends。 Although Debuting in fourth place on the New York Times Best Seller list for hardcover non-fiction is not bad at all for a book on fungi and trees。 Keeping me reading avidly throughout three hundred pages is pretty good。 But changing the present and future course of how we plant， care for， and harvest trees will be the best impact of all for this book by UBC forest scientist Suzanne Simard。I knew enough about Simard to buy two copies， one for keeping and the other for circulating among friends。 Although I normally relax by reading fiction， this was my sole reading material until I finished it。 Simard’s storytelling mixes her life growing up in the mountains of British Columbia with the developing story of her scientific discoveries about how forest trees share support， warnings， and other messages with each other via the underground network of fungi that go from the roots of one tree to the roots of the next。 When she first proved that birch and fir in the BC forest can send carbon （as photosynthetically manufactured sugars） to each other through fungi to each other in the most prestigious science journal in the world， the editors of Nature featured her paper on the cover and coined the phrase “the Wood Wide Web” to describe it。But the profound impacts of Simard and others’ work describing mutualistic relationships in the forest isn’t what will keep most readers going。 Simard has written a very readable autobiography。 Her family roots in the BC mountains as loggers and ranchers are lovingly described。 Some of the climactic moments occur when her brother competes at rodeos。 Family photos going back a century show what logging in BC used to look like， and Simard’s personal experience of how forests her own family had logged regenerated helped inspire her scientific questions。 Going from early childhood （the scene in which the family dogs falls into the outhouse pit is a classic！） to young adulthood， motherhood， family crises and her life-threatening struggle with breast cancer and her mature life goals， the development of Suzanne Simard as a person， as a young woman fighting the scientific and forest business establishment， and finally as a central figure of modern forest science will engage you fully。To finish this review， I can’t do better than let Simard’s words from the last page of Finding the Mother Tree inspire you:"We have the power to shift course。 It’s our disconnectedness – and lost understanding about the amazing capacities of nature – that’s driving a lot of our despair， and plants in particular are objects of our abuse。 By understanding their sentient qualities， our empathy and love for trees， plants， and forests will naturally deepen and find innovative solutions。 Turning to the intelligence of nature itself is the key。" 。。。more
John Bunge
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This is a great blend of technical and personal information。 Suzanne has proven that clear-cutting is not the best for the health of the forest or the planet。
Belinda Willis
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Thank you！ Thank you！ Thank you！The people of earth own a tremendous thanks to Susanne Simard for her dedication and perseverance to study and document the science revealed in this book。 Our modern world will be forever changed because of her devotion to the forests of the Pacific Northwest and her peaceful resistance to the lumbering industry that is so slow to change。 We are part of a great Oneness and I’m grateful to Simard for revealing to me， on an ever deeper level， the sacred community th Thank you！ Thank you！ Thank you！The people of earth own a tremendous thanks to Susanne Simard for her dedication and perseverance to study and document the science revealed in this book。 Our modern world will be forever changed because of her devotion to the forests of the Pacific Northwest and her peaceful resistance to the lumbering industry that is so slow to change。 We are part of a great Oneness and I’m grateful to Simard for revealing to me， on an ever deeper level， the sacred community that is Planet Earth。 。。。more
Victor Saville
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an interesting life and her search for replacing trees after clear-cutting in British Columbia。 Quite a bit of technical info and some mind-changing discoveries about the workings of the forest。
Mandy
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Let me say at the outset that this is a vital book， which has opened up to me， and no doubt to many others， an important aspect of the ecology of trees that will have far-reaching consequences for the planet。 Suzanne Simard， whilst working in the forests of Canada， made the discovery that trees seem to possess complex information “superhighways” in their roots that allow them to share information， and for older trees to pass on knowledge to younger ones。 This discovery has led to a revolution in Let me say at the outset that this is a vital book， which has opened up to me， and no doubt to many others， an important aspect of the ecology of trees that will have far-reaching consequences for the planet。 Suzanne Simard， whilst working in the forests of Canada， made the discovery that trees seem to possess complex information “superhighways” in their roots that allow them to share information， and for older trees to pass on knowledge to younger ones。 This discovery has led to a revolution in how scientists view trees and forests， some even suggesting that trees have cognitive abilities。 What does seem certain is that there is a relationship between tree roots and fungi called mycorrhizae， which serves as the means of communication between trees。 Fascinating stuff， and most of the time I was gripped by the narrative of Simard’s research both in and out of the lab。 However， I have to admit that the detailed science was occasionally too much for me and I found my attention wavering。 My fault rather than the book’s， perhaps， but I could have done with “A Finding the Mother Tree for Dummies” version。 However， the book is pretty much required reading for anyone concerned with the fate of our planet and the trees that we need so desperately， and there are plenty of TED talks and videos to explore the subject further。 。。。more
John
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Such an excellent book with many interwoven facets: from personal biography， confessional， nature writing to hardcore forestry management science。 Heartfelt and nicely paced， this book is a joy to read。 I look forward to rereading it for years to come。
Betsyzel
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I live three miles from Rocky Mountain National Park。 I love every minute I spend in it。 But this book has rocked my world view of forests。。of all plant and tree life， really。 Spoiler in this review is quote from book， below。 It explains what you will know to be true after you read it。 I wish every reader read it。“Is it possible that the trees are as perceptive of their neighbors as we are of our own thoughts and moods？ Even more， are the social interactions between trees as influential on their I live three miles from Rocky Mountain National Park。 I love every minute I spend in it。 But this book has rocked my world view of forests。。of all plant and tree life， really。 Spoiler in this review is quote from book， below。 It explains what you will know to be true after you read it。 I wish every reader read it。“Is it possible that the trees are as perceptive of their neighbors as we are of our own thoughts and moods？ Even more， are the social interactions between trees as influential on their shared reality as that of two people engaged in conversation？ Can trees discern as quickly as we can？ Can they continuously gauge， adjust， and regulate based on their signals and interactions， just as we do？” 。。。more
Yvonne
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I have been reading this book over the past week or so and it was such an interesting and eye-opening book。 Dr Suzanne Simard has learnt her trade over years of observations， discoveries and research。 Born and raised in the rainforests of British Columbia， she has natural respect and a relationship with the trees。 this comes across in this book as she recounts her childhood with memories， stories and also how she gradually worked to become the leader in the field she is today。What started as a c I have been reading this book over the past week or so and it was such an interesting and eye-opening book。 Dr Suzanne Simard has learnt her trade over years of observations， discoveries and research。 Born and raised in the rainforests of British Columbia， she has natural respect and a relationship with the trees。 this comes across in this book as she recounts her childhood with memories， stories and also how she gradually worked to become the leader in the field she is today。What started as a childhood curiosity bloomed into something more。 Through experiments， research， and a certain amount of bloody-mindedness she brought her findings to all who would listen。 The book documents how she found the symbiotic relationship between the soil， enzymes and naturally occurring biology and the trees。 While there is a certain amount of science， it is been given in layman's terms making this a very accessible and easy to understand the book。I like how this book is laid out。 Chapters are a mix of memories， experiences and also the findings of her research。 This makes it more manageable and keeps the book flowing rather than getting hung up in great swathes of science。This is such an interesting book and as I was reading I could feel the excitement as discoveries were made， and also the heartbreak and upset as things failed or that sometimes trees had to be destroyed to be able to see the impacts of pesticides。A wonderful read and one that has led me onto further reading on the internet。 Looking at interviews and talks about the relationship of trees to the world around us。 This is a book for anyone who has an interest in the natural world， in relationships between nature and it is one I would definitely recommend。 。。。more
Brenda Wright
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Science writing at its best - embedded a compelling nonfiction
Muromets
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Trees are interconnected and everything in nature has a role to play。 This book is about the symbiotic relationship between trees， mycorrhiza （fungus）， and other species， the way they communicate， and the bond they share。 It’s a fairy dry elaboration of what Simard aptly coined as the “wood wide web” and many authors have repeated in their books， interwoven with the author’s personal life story。 I thought Underland: A Deep Time Journey by Robert Macfarlane captured the essence and beauty of the Trees are interconnected and everything in nature has a role to play。 This book is about the symbiotic relationship between trees， mycorrhiza （fungus）， and other species， the way they communicate， and the bond they share。 It’s a fairy dry elaboration of what Simard aptly coined as the “wood wide web” and many authors have repeated in their books， interwoven with the author’s personal life story。 I thought Underland: A Deep Time Journey by Robert Macfarlane captured the essence and beauty of the symbiosis much more eloquently in his chapter about the understory。 。。。more
jean
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What an interesting and we'll researched book。 Part autobiography and part scientific paper the author discusses the amazing concept of the wood wide web and mother trees。 At first it seemed quite fanciful， but 。by the end one realised that humans could actually learn a lot from trees and a little cooperation and nurturing goes a long wayThank you to netgalley and penguin books for an advance copy of this book What an interesting and we'll researched book。 Part autobiography and part scientific paper the author discusses the amazing concept of the wood wide web and mother trees。 At first it seemed quite fanciful， but 。by the end one realised that humans could actually learn a lot from trees and a little cooperation and nurturing goes a long wayThank you to netgalley and penguin books for an advance copy of this book 。。。more
Christine
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It's impossible for me to not compare this book to Robin Wall Kimmerer's "Braiding Sweetgrass"， a book that I found deeply impactful。 This book does not meet those same standards but I must still give it 4 stars because we absolutely need more people in the world like Robin Wall Kimmerer and Suzanne Simard （and Richard Powers， and others！） who are teaching us， reminding us， begging us to recognize that nature is wise， forests are wise， the earth is wise and that human beings are not the most imp It's impossible for me to not compare this book to Robin Wall Kimmerer's "Braiding Sweetgrass"， a book that I found deeply impactful。 This book does not meet those same standards but I must still give it 4 stars because we absolutely need more people in the world like Robin Wall Kimmerer and Suzanne Simard （and Richard Powers， and others！） who are teaching us， reminding us， begging us to recognize that nature is wise， forests are wise， the earth is wise and that human beings are not the most important thing on the planet。 We might be smart， but we're not nearly as smart as we think we are。 It's not all about humans。 That egocentric attitude will be our downfall。 But， I suppose， regardless of where you think you sit （at the top of the flagpole， or a piece of the whole） the earth is our house， and why not take good care of our house？ 。。。more
audrey o'reilly
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It just makes one rethink the whole way one sees the world。
Kim
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A rich and powerful story， not just of how trees communicate and support each other， but of Suzanne's life and work， Finding the Mother Tree was one of the best memoirs I've read in recent years。 Suzanne's ground-breaking research into trees and the practices we have foolishly relied on for years couldn't come at a better time。 As we learn more about the world around us we can work to correct the errors that have proven detrimental to not just trees but all the creatures living on and amongst tr A rich and powerful story， not just of how trees communicate and support each other， but of Suzanne's life and work， Finding the Mother Tree was one of the best memoirs I've read in recent years。 Suzanne's ground-breaking research into trees and the practices we have foolishly relied on for years couldn't come at a better time。 As we learn more about the world around us we can work to correct the errors that have proven detrimental to not just trees but all the creatures living on and amongst trees。 I really loved this book。 It is life affirming， intelligent （but not overly so as to put off non-scientists）， humorous and sad， too。 It inspires hope that we can make this world better by implementing practices that work in harmony with nature。 。。。more
Eliza
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Suzanne Simard is a groundbreaking researcher in forestry， specifically in how trees communicate with each other and exchange resources through the below-ground mycorrhizal network of fungi。 She is a hero of mine， so I was eager to pick up her autobiography。 It doesn’t always make for easy reading and I admit that I had a hard time following the details of some of her experiments。 However， the challenges she faced as a female scientist going up against the forestry establishment and logging indu Suzanne Simard is a groundbreaking researcher in forestry， specifically in how trees communicate with each other and exchange resources through the below-ground mycorrhizal network of fungi。 She is a hero of mine， so I was eager to pick up her autobiography。 It doesn’t always make for easy reading and I admit that I had a hard time following the details of some of her experiments。 However， the challenges she faced as a female scientist going up against the forestry establishment and logging industry to get them to change their practices were compellingly told。 This is an important book and I am so glad I stuck with it。 。。。more
Catie
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Review copy provided by publisher - May 2021
Beth
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4。5 ⭐️
Cathy
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This was more of an autobiography， than an informational non-fiction book， however I enjoyed hearing about how her interests began and the development of her direction and goals。 It really is a shame that research has to work so hard to prove findings that differ from corporate interests， but it is not surprising that money is so much more important than actual fact， and we all know how difficult change is for anyone。。。
M。K。 Nadall
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The author’s ground-breaking research on carbon sharing between different tree species was published on the cover of the journal Nature way back in 1997 （and labelled the Wood Wide Web）。 This and her subsequent work have diffused into the public consciousness and popular culture in films such as James Cameron’s Avatar。 In the last decade there have been several other excellent popular science books on the topic of tree and plant communication and sentience。 It has been a long wait to hear Suzann The author’s ground-breaking research on carbon sharing between different tree species was published on the cover of the journal Nature way back in 1997 （and labelled the Wood Wide Web）。 This and her subsequent work have diffused into the public consciousness and popular culture in films such as James Cameron’s Avatar。 In the last decade there have been several other excellent popular science books on the topic of tree and plant communication and sentience。 It has been a long wait to hear Suzanne Simard’s account in accessible book form rather than journal articles filtered through the media。 To be clear: this area of science is not wishful new age magical thinking。 Like Peter Wohlleben （The Secret life of Trees） the author was employed in the forestry industry and early research was aimed at improving lumber productivity。 The book is biographical as much as it is a popular science book and Suzanne describes her early work in testing herbicides， working with prisoner labour and using a dangerous radioactive “neutron probe” to measure soil conditions。 She speculates that herbicides and various radioactive tools of the trade led to her breast cancer。 There is a serious level of mental and physical toughness evident in this journey of scientific discovery。 As a science PhD myself I especially liked the way the author lays bare the creative process of scientific discovery。 For instance， the realisation that the unexpected demise of soil fungi （due to herbicide use） had a role in the poorer than expected performance， of the seedlings the herbicide was employed to protect from competition。 Competition versus co-operation in forest ecology is a major theme of the research and the author explains that her work was controversial because many ecologists held the view that nature is entirely competitive。 Essentially， the author’s work has shown that trees exchange nutrients and chemical information between older and younger trees of the same species and between trees of different species – the latter helps maintain the integrity of the forest and thus provides a suitable habitat for the seedlings。 Some of the author’s original field work sites are now two decades old。 I wonder， if in the future some of these will be preserved and visited by future generations so see the source of scientific inspiration in the way the Galapagos Islands are。 。。。more
Onceinabluemoon
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As an avid gardener most of my life I'm very familiar with this topic through numerous books， I didn't know what I was in for when I started but I was instantly turned off by the author， her family heritage is clear cutting。。。 I know she is trying to be the solution to the problem， but to me she was the enemy。 I live in a severe fire danger state， right now they are clear cutting ancient oaks under huge swaths of power lines， its horrifying watching ancient oaks tumble， I actually cried sitting As an avid gardener most of my life I'm very familiar with this topic through numerous books， I didn't know what I was in for when I started but I was instantly turned off by the author， her family heritage is clear cutting。。。 I know she is trying to be the solution to the problem， but to me she was the enemy。 I live in a severe fire danger state， right now they are clear cutting ancient oaks under huge swaths of power lines， its horrifying watching ancient oaks tumble， I actually cried sitting stuck in the road as they devastate anything in their path。 This book is too personal now。 Hearing the practices of the lumber industry was nauseating， and she was along for the ride。。。 Its all to raw for me now。 。。。more
Vivienne
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My thanks to Penguin Press U。K。 /Allen Lane for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Finding the Mother Tree: Uncovering the Wisdom and Intelligence of the Forest’ by Suzanne Simard。 I also have its audiobook edition narrated by the author。Suzanne Simard is the world-renowned scientist who first discovered the hidden language of trees and coined the term: Wood Wide Web to describe the complex interconnectivity between trees。In 2018 I had loved ‘The Overstory’ by Richard Powers， which was shortlisted for th My thanks to Penguin Press U。K。 /Allen Lane for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Finding the Mother Tree: Uncovering the Wisdom and Intelligence of the Forest’ by Suzanne Simard。 I also have its audiobook edition narrated by the author。Suzanne Simard is the world-renowned scientist who first discovered the hidden language of trees and coined the term: Wood Wide Web to describe the complex interconnectivity between trees。In 2018 I had loved ‘The Overstory’ by Richard Powers， which was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize and won a Pulitzer。 One of its central characters was inspired by the life and work of Suzanne Simard， the author of this memoir。 This was a fascinating memoir， charting Suzanne Simard’s groundbreaking work uncovering the secrets of trees。 Some parts of the book were difficult to read as she writes of the clear cutting of the British Columbian forests and the early experiments she conducted in order to convince the Forestry professionals to change their practices。 Alongside the autobiographical aspects there’s a lot of information about trees as well as other members of the plant and fungi kingdoms。 I didn’t understand all of the science discussed in the text though felt that I could always follow up if I wanted more background。 Aside from an index the book contains a list of cited sources organised chapter by chapter。Overall， I found this a thought-provoking and moving account of the life and work of this extraordinary woman。 。。。more
Leslie
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"LA Times，" 5/9/21 "LA Times，" 5/9/21 。。。more
Yarub Khayat
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"التعرف على الأم الشجرة: اكتشاف حكمة الغابة"لعلي لا أبالغ أن المتخصصين في علم البيئة وكذلك المهتمين بها، قد انتظروا طويلا إصدار هذا الكتاب، حيث أن مؤلفته تنادي منذ عام 1997، بالنظر للأشجار في الغابات على أنها كائنات تعيش في مجتمعات وتتواصل فيما بينها من خلال شبكات تقيمها تحت الأرض، وأنها أي الأشجار، تستعين لاستكمال ذلك التواصل، بأنواع كثيرة مختلفة من الفطريات "Fungus" المجهرية الدقيقة جدا "ميكرو رايزال فنجاي"، تزيد عن خمسين ألف نوع، وكذلك بأنواع مختلفة من البكتريا؛ تواصل فيه مصالح مشتركة بين الأ "التعرف على الأم الشجرة: اكتشاف حكمة الغابة"لعلي لا أبالغ أن المتخصصين في علم البيئة وكذلك المهتمين بها، قد انتظروا طويلا إصدار هذا الكتاب، حيث أن مؤلفته تنادي منذ عام 1997، بالنظر للأشجار في الغابات على أنها كائنات تعيش في مجتمعات وتتواصل فيما بينها من خلال شبكات تقيمها تحت الأرض، وأنها أي الأشجار، تستعين لاستكمال ذلك التواصل، بأنواع كثيرة مختلفة من الفطريات "Fungus" المجهرية الدقيقة جدا "ميكرو رايزال فنجاي"، تزيد عن خمسين ألف نوع، وكذلك بأنواع مختلفة من البكتريا؛ تواصل فيه مصالح مشتركة بين الأشجار والفطريات والبكتريا، ينتج عنه مجتمعات من الأشجار فيها احترام فيما بينها لمعيشتها المشتركة، وتعلم من بعضها بعضا، ومن الظروف المحيطة بها، ومن التغيرات المناخية التي تمر الغابة بها لتتأقلم مع المتوقع مستقبلا من تلك التغيرات وتورثها للأجيال القادمة منها 。。 علاقة الأشجار علاقة مجتمعية فيها التنافس وفيها التعاون وفيها الكثير من ملامح حياة المجتمعات الأحياء الأخرى بما فيها مجتمعات البشر، وأوضحت الكاتبة التفاصيل التي تثبت أن موت الأشجار في الغابة يفيد بشكل أو بآخر الأشجار الأخرى خاصة من حيث تطوير الأشجار الحية الأصغر عمرا، لبنيتها ليحفظها من الوفاة متأثرة بنفس السبب، ومن هنا جاء اسم الكتاب: "الأم الشجرة": لتشبيه كبريات أشجار الغابة بالأمهات التي ترعى الأشجار التي تصغرها، وتنقل إليهم خبرتها في مواجهة متاعب الحياة، لتعينها على البقاء。يستعرض الكتاب بدايات اهتمام مؤلفته بالغابة، وعلاقتها بالأشجار منذ طفولتها في مقاطعة "بريتيش كولومبيا" الواقعة غرب دولة كندا، وملاحظاتها آنذاك، ومن ثم التجارب والأبحاث المترابطة المتسلسلة التي أجرتها بعد تخصصها في علم البيئة، والتي أدت لتوصلها لنظريتها هذه، ثم اضطرارها للخروج من وظيفتها الحكومية المتخصصة في البيئة لعدم أخذ المحيطين لأبحاثها بجدية 。。 ورحلتها العلمية بعد استقالتها من وظيفتها وحتى تمكنها من اقناع المتخصصين بصحة نظريتها هذه، لتغير جذريا النظرة التي كانت سائدة عن الأشجار。وتشير المؤلفة أن ما توصلت إليه هو مجرد امتداد لمعارف وأبحاث متراكمة قام بها علماء البيئة المختصين على مدار سنين طويلة، وكذلك لمعارف وعلوم الشعوب الأصلية الكندية （ Aboriginal Peoplel ）، التي كانت متداولة لديهم على مدار آلاف السنين، وأن كل ما قامت به لا يعدو عن مجرد تمكين العلماء الحاليين من المعرفة العلمية المنهجية لممارسات أصحاب الأرض "الفطريين" أي الأصليين، ويعتبر كتابها هذا الموضح لتفاصيل إثباتها لنظريتها التي اعترف بها المتخصصين، مقدمة للنظر للنباتات البحرية، وربما لكل أشكال الحياة على أنها عبارة عن مجتمعات لها تفاهم وتواصل مع بعضها。هذا وقد تطرقت المؤلفة إلى الأثر السلبي على الغابات الذي تسبب به القادمون الأوربيون الأوائل لأرض "أمريكا الشمالية"، أي الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية وكندا، حيث قاموا بقطع أشجار الغابات بشكل جائر، وكذلك فقد تطرقت إلى الأثر السلبي للاحترار العالمي وظاهرة تغير المناخ، ونادت بحماية الغابات وأشجارها كمتطلب ضروري للحياة الإنسانية الصحية السليمة على الكرة الأرضية。صدر الكتاب في الأسبوع الأول من شهر مايو عام 2022، متضمنا 368، صفحة。 وهو كتاب سهل الأسلوب ثمين المحتويات، لهذا جاء تقييمي له بخمسة نجوم مع توقعي لانتشاره بكثافة رغم أنه الكتاب الأول لمؤلفته، وأرفق رابط لفيديو قصير لمشاهدة المؤلفة تتحدث عن كتابها بلغة وأسلوب فيهما عشق للأشجار https://youtu。be/3PvbU6fV8pgوبالرابط التالي توضيح مبسط لكيفية تواصل الأشجار مع بعضها بعضا، واستفادتها من ذلك، شاملا التحذير من بعض المخاطر التي تعرضت لها، لتكون بقية أشجار الغابة على استعداد للمواجهة https://youtu。be/V4m9SefyRjgوبالرابط التالي تسجيل تتحدث فيه مؤلفة الكتاب عن مشروعها لخدمة أمهات الأشجار في الغابات https://youtu。be/EuupJGko9_0 。。。more
Sarah Lee
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Finding the Mother Tree by Suzanne Simard is a really interesting look at how trees and forests interact with each other and how trees can in fact communicate with each other through a web of fungi， how the mother tree can pass on sustenance and help their own kin and the rest of the forest。 Suzanne Simard is a renowned scientist， although I must admit to have never having heard of her before reading this book。 She has been researching the ecology of forests and trees for the majority of her lif Finding the Mother Tree by Suzanne Simard is a really interesting look at how trees and forests interact with each other and how trees can in fact communicate with each other through a web of fungi， how the mother tree can pass on sustenance and help their own kin and the rest of the forest。 Suzanne Simard is a renowned scientist， although I must admit to have never having heard of her before reading this book。 She has been researching the ecology of forests and trees for the majority of her life。 I found this an interesting book， in which Simard looks back at her life and her research。 I found some of the research descriptions a little lengthy and I lost concentration sometimes， but found Simard’s family and personal history interesting and think that the research in its entirety was necessary in order to establish her findings over the decades of research that she has conducted。A well written， deeply personal account of her life and work。 Simard’s love for the forests and her environment clearly shine through in this work。 。。。more
Susan
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If you liked The Overstory， and slogged through the science in Braiding Sweetgrass， this is your next book。 Haven’t you always known the forest communicates？ Super bonus points for using fungus to do so。 😘
Annie
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What an inspiring story to listen to on a car trip over Mother’s Day weekend！ Simard shares her rich knowledge of the undeniable interconnected， collaborative systems within ecosystems， in this case， mycorrhiza: firs， birch， alder， pine and fungi。 Elder trees nurture， communicate with， and transfer nutrients to saplings via complex rhizomal networks， and Simard draws an undeniable parallel with parenthood， and family dynamics and cultivation。 Her research affirms the myth of competition as the o What an inspiring story to listen to on a car trip over Mother’s Day weekend！ Simard shares her rich knowledge of the undeniable interconnected， collaborative systems within ecosystems， in this case， mycorrhiza: firs， birch， alder， pine and fungi。 Elder trees nurture， communicate with， and transfer nutrients to saplings via complex rhizomal networks， and Simard draws an undeniable parallel with parenthood， and family dynamics and cultivation。 Her research affirms the myth of competition as the only planned interaction in forests。 Scientific， idealistic， and emotional。 。。。more
Ben Rogers
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Outstanding read。 The best book on forestry and trees since The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel， How They Communicate – Discoveries from a Secret World， which also featured Suzanne Simard。 I thought the memoir aspects of this book were interesting。 It reminded me of Lab Girl。 Highly recommended read！ 4。8/5 Outstanding read。 The best book on forestry and trees since The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel， How They Communicate – Discoveries from a Secret World， which also featured Suzanne Simard。 I thought the memoir aspects of this book were interesting。 It reminded me of Lab Girl。 Highly recommended read！ 4。8/5 。。。more
Nigel
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In brief - In the strange world we live in this is as important as it is powerful。 I feel fortunate to have been able to read this book。 I hope that its message resonates with generations to come。 In fullThis book opens with Suzanne （the author） as a young forestry worker （seasonal） understanding that recently planted seedlings in a clear felled area of forestry were not doing well。 The question in her mind is why。 Nearby naturally developing seedlings are doing just fine。 The book then goes bac In brief - In the strange world we live in this is as important as it is powerful。 I feel fortunate to have been able to read this book。 I hope that its message resonates with generations to come。 In fullThis book opens with Suzanne （the author） as a young forestry worker （seasonal） understanding that recently planted seedlings in a clear felled area of forestry were not doing well。 The question in her mind is why。 Nearby naturally developing seedlings are doing just fine。 The book then goes back to her childhood and her family's long involvement in forestry in Canada。 The scene is well set for this book。While this is the author's first book she has had many academic papers published。 She has devoted a large part of her life to the study of trees particularly those in Canada。 The initial puzzlement about the fact that seedlings are not thriving leads to a number of issues with the approach to forestry management in Canada。 While Suzanne's work has largely involved Canada her idea have spread。 She is the person responsible for the idea of the "wood wide web"。 When I heard about this - some years back - the idea interested me。 However I hadn't found the time to find out more until now。Suzanne's devotion to understanding trees and their wellbeing is remarkable。 From her initial questioning of why seedlings don't thrive she follows "threads" both literal and metaphorical in the course of this book。 From this we find out far more about Mycorrhizal fungi and the interactions between trees and fungi in the soil。 Each "answer" to her studies tends to lead to further questions and discoveries。 These discoveries really are remarkable to me and so important。I do have some small reservations about this book。 For me personally I would have loved to have seen some maps showing where her work took place。 I would have also liked more photos of trees， plants and wildlife too I guess。 My brain would have found seeing some of the data relating to her experiments easier to understand in the form of tables rather than narratives。 Ultimately this book is both a personal biography and the results of a number of an academic studies。 This combination may not suit everyone。 As far as I am concerned this is a very important book。 It shows just how little we really understand about our planet。 It also shows our resistance to change particularly when it involves big business。 From the tiniest parts of fungi on tree roots to the survival of our world - if that is not important I'm not sure what is。Note - I received an advance digital copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair review 。。。more
Chantal Lyons
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This book just shot to the top of my list of "best-ever writing by a scientist"， to vie with Dave Goulson's 'A Sting in the Tale'。 I am， simply， in awe of Suzanne Simard's heroism， genius， and the beauty with which she has translated her science into a communicable story。 'Finding the Mother Tree' is fairly chunky， but I found myself racing through it。 Something about Simard's style just gripped me。 She never feels condescending， sharing the designs of her various experiments in great detail。 Yo This book just shot to the top of my list of "best-ever writing by a scientist"， to vie with Dave Goulson's 'A Sting in the Tale'。 I am， simply， in awe of Suzanne Simard's heroism， genius， and the beauty with which she has translated her science into a communicable story。 'Finding the Mother Tree' is fairly chunky， but I found myself racing through it。 Something about Simard's style just gripped me。 She never feels condescending， sharing the designs of her various experiments in great detail。 You don't need to be a scientist or student yourself to understand the concepts and approaches that Simard conveys。 She also avoids the irritating habit that some science writers have of trying to wedge in flippant humour。I loved Richard Power's 'The Overstory'， which features a woman said to have been based on Simard， and recently enjoyed Meg Lowman's 'The Arbonaut' too。 'Finding the Mother Tree' completes a triptych， for me。 I feel enlightened， saddened， and uplifted。 I feel privileged to have read this book。（With thanks to Allen Lane and NetGalley for this ebook， in exchange for an honest review） 。。。more
Louise
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