Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest
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- Create Date：2022-07-17 10:51:42
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Suzanne Simard
- ISBN：0735237778
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Summary
INSTANT NATIONAL BESTSELLER & NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
A world-leading expert shares her amazing story of discovering the communication that exists between trees， and shares her own story of family and grief。
Suzanne Simard is a pioneer on the frontier of plant communication and intelligence who has been compared to Rachel Carson， and whose work has influenced James Cameron and Richard Powers。
In Finding the Mother Tree， Simard brings us into her world and shows us that trees are not simply the source of timber or pulp， but are a complicated， interdependent circle of life， and that forests are social， cooperative creatures connected through underground networks。 Trees perceive one another， learn and adapt their behaviours， recognize neighbours， and remember the past。 They have agency about the future， elicit warnings and mount defenses， and compete and cooperate with one another just like humans do。 At the centre of this vast network are the Mother Trees: mysterious， powerful forces that connect and sustain those that surround them。
Simard uses her own journey to demonstrate that scientific inquiry exists beyond data and technology， that it is about understanding who we are and our place in the world。 Through Simard's life we see that the Mother Tree that nurtures the forest the way that families and communities influence human societies， and how these inseparable bonds enable all survival。
A world-leading expert shares her amazing story of discovering the communication that exists between trees， and shares her own story of family and grief。
Suzanne Simard is a pioneer on the frontier of plant communication and intelligence who has been compared to Rachel Carson， and whose work has influenced James Cameron and Richard Powers。
In Finding the Mother Tree， Simard brings us into her world and shows us that trees are not simply the source of timber or pulp， but are a complicated， interdependent circle of life， and that forests are social， cooperative creatures connected through underground networks。 Trees perceive one another， learn and adapt their behaviours， recognize neighbours， and remember the past。 They have agency about the future， elicit warnings and mount defenses， and compete and cooperate with one another just like humans do。 At the centre of this vast network are the Mother Trees: mysterious， powerful forces that connect and sustain those that surround them。
Simard uses her own journey to demonstrate that scientific inquiry exists beyond data and technology， that it is about understanding who we are and our place in the world。 Through Simard's life we see that the Mother Tree that nurtures the forest the way that families and communities influence human societies， and how these inseparable bonds enable all survival。
Reviews
Lilia McKenzie
，
Very good book that has a lot of information about tress。 I will never see trees the same way again。
Rebecca Black
，
A moving， sometimes hilarious， often heart wrenching memoir and deep dive into the nature of forest ecology and forest policy in British Columbia。 Simard shows us fascinating data about the interconnectedness of forest systems。 She explains detailed， well designed， and peer reviewed experiments she and her colleagues performed in order to better understand how forest systems thrive and species collaborate。 She details her personal struggles as a woman making waves in an industry dominated by men A moving， sometimes hilarious， often heart wrenching memoir and deep dive into the nature of forest ecology and forest policy in British Columbia。 Simard shows us fascinating data about the interconnectedness of forest systems。 She explains detailed， well designed， and peer reviewed experiments she and her colleagues performed in order to better understand how forest systems thrive and species collaborate。 She details her personal struggles as a woman making waves in an industry dominated by men and driven by short term profits。 She also shows us how mycelium connects trees in the wood wide web。 The biggest nodes in the network are hub trees， or "mother trees" who nurture their young。 What a wonderful book！ 。。。more
Peter Moyes
，
From the beginning you want to rage at this book， rage at the time and energy it took for Simard's findings to be believed， rage at the necessity for decades long programmes to prove relationships in the wild forest that First Nations had world stories about but modern western monetarism ignored for a quick buck。 A closely observed book， interwoven with her own life story this is a book anyone who finds the factory style of farming and forestry to be abhorrent should look to to reaffirm their ow From the beginning you want to rage at this book， rage at the time and energy it took for Simard's findings to be believed， rage at the necessity for decades long programmes to prove relationships in the wild forest that First Nations had world stories about but modern western monetarism ignored for a quick buck。 A closely observed book， interwoven with her own life story this is a book anyone who finds the factory style of farming and forestry to be abhorrent should look to to reaffirm their own life choices。 。。。more
LaNell
，
A much-needed book for our culture。 The author weaves her personal story with her scientific studies and discoveries。 As a person who is not a scientist， the detail of the science was a little hard for me to follow， but the conclusions and her personal insights were fascinating。 It is time we wake from our Cartesian sleep and give the trees， fungi， and plant life in our world the respect they deserve。
Rod Van Alyne
，
I had added this book to my list to read and had forgotten about it。 I was fortunate enough to win it in a Goodreads Giveaway。 I am glad I did！ It was educational and entertaining but more than a book about trees。 I will now keep an eye out for “Mother Trees” not only in the forest but in other parts of my life。
Tim
，
This is an important and captivating book。 Although it was a challenge to read the scientific elements， Suzanne Simard's personal story was powerful: finding her voice， working in a field dominated by men and the lumber industry， coping with the strains of motherhood and marriage， and battling breast cancer。 It is well written and actually hopeful， even though it is a warning book about climate change。 Her emphasis on cooperation rather than competition among trees becomes a critique of science This is an important and captivating book。 Although it was a challenge to read the scientific elements， Suzanne Simard's personal story was powerful: finding her voice， working in a field dominated by men and the lumber industry， coping with the strains of motherhood and marriage， and battling breast cancer。 It is well written and actually hopeful， even though it is a warning book about climate change。 Her emphasis on cooperation rather than competition among trees becomes a critique of science and our own human assumptions。 So many thanks to Dick Prouty， who gave me this book for my 75th birthday。 I am gifting it in turn to Rich and Tobe Stomberg， my 2 favorite biologists！ 。。。more
John Stockton
，
A MUST read for everyone on the planet！
Linda Fuller
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Ah inspiring， informative， an odd story about the ecosystem and forests， but life and connections - loved it
Vinay
，
Read this while being surrounded by trees。 I loved her descriptions of the spaces she occupied and her almost spiritual reverence of trees。 Reminded me of Richard Prum talking about birds - something special always seems to come of pursuing a topic you deeply deeply care about， even when it doesn’t neatly fit into the zeitgeist and prevailing norms of what is attractive and valuable。 The science was fascinating。 Also liked stories of what I’m realizing is a theme I love reading about — the polit Read this while being surrounded by trees。 I loved her descriptions of the spaces she occupied and her almost spiritual reverence of trees。 Reminded me of Richard Prum talking about birds - something special always seems to come of pursuing a topic you deeply deeply care about， even when it doesn’t neatly fit into the zeitgeist and prevailing norms of what is attractive and valuable。 The science was fascinating。 Also liked stories of what I’m realizing is a theme I love reading about — the politics of science and academiaThat said， her narrative of how she went from her first puzzle （why did the newly planted Douglas Fir seedlings not grow？） to her eventual research and findings felt too programmed and very much a “hindsight is 20-20”。 - it very well might be true but I’m just so skeptical of the idea that you can see the end from the very beginning of such large profound questions。 The narrative felt a little too sure of itself and ended up not feeling “honest”。Maybe I’m being harsh。 I really wanted to love this book （after The Overstory and Merlin Sheldrake’s book etc）。 。。。more
Mary
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I had a funny journey with this one - I could have taken or left it about 1/3 of the way in， but really enjoyed it by the end。It does feel like slow going in parts - especially if you weren't expecting a memoir （which I certainly wasn't） but very much worthwhile。However， since I live in BC， the memoir sections had far more relevance to me， so I actually don't know how they would feel to an outsider。It could probably be argued that some aspects are a little repetitive when it comes to the science I had a funny journey with this one - I could have taken or left it about 1/3 of the way in， but really enjoyed it by the end。It does feel like slow going in parts - especially if you weren't expecting a memoir （which I certainly wasn't） but very much worthwhile。However， since I live in BC， the memoir sections had far more relevance to me， so I actually don't know how they would feel to an outsider。It could probably be argued that some aspects are a little repetitive when it comes to the science， but like any good lecture that actually helped them sink in much better for me！ This also really taught me a lot more about the forestry industry， which I had very much regarded as a monolithic extractive behemoth。 Some aspects confirmed my expectations， others lent more nuance， so I appreciated that。Finally， I have never been so stressed about anyone's attitude to bear safety in my life， and I may never recover 😂💀 。。。more
Aspen Moore
，
The science of the forest is absolutely fascinating。 I appreciate the author’s persistence and curiosity that led her to make and share incredible discoveries about cooperation and communication between trees。But I didn’t realize going in that this was a memoir， and it really threw me off。 It was hard to get into and ended up being a strange mix of technical details and personal stories。
Matt
，
As much as anything， this book is a memoir， even more than it is a story about Simard's work。 Simard got famous for her research finding that fungal networks allow trees to cooperate in sharing resources （sugar， water）。 And for the science-minded， the incredible research is the star of the show， and the depth of complexity in those underground networks is stunning。 Trees of different species showing signs of cooperation， assisting one another when one is stressed。 Trees showing favoritism for th As much as anything， this book is a memoir， even more than it is a story about Simard's work。 Simard got famous for her research finding that fungal networks allow trees to cooperate in sharing resources （sugar， water）。 And for the science-minded， the incredible research is the star of the show， and the depth of complexity in those underground networks is stunning。 Trees of different species showing signs of cooperation， assisting one another when one is stressed。 Trees showing favoritism for their own offspring over offspring from other trees。 Trees warning other trees about pest infestation。 And even evidence of "mother" trees expelling resources to surrounding fledglings at the time of their own demise。 We are offered these insights through the eyes of Simard's career trajectory， learning more as her research allowed it。But much of the book is only partly about the scientific insight。 So much more of it is about her fight with Canadian foresters and policymakers， for whom the only goal is yield per acre， not the health of the forests。 So she has to make the strong argument that the healthy balances in forest restoration are more profitable than clearcutting and spraying。 The book is also a classic tale of intransigence in scientific communities， where paradigms are slow to topple。 That part is forgivable， and a natural part of both the scientific process as well as human nature。 Old scholars are slow to tear down their beliefs， and that's understandable。 What's less okay is the misogyny in scientific circles。 And the hubris in policy circles。 And another thing Simard rails against -- the bias in favor of breaking things down into component parts to understand them， rather than seeing things as a whole。 This was truly a frustrating read。 But the worst part might still be the fact that we live in a society that prioritizes profits over health。But what saves the experience， besides the remarkable scientific insights， is that much of the book reads like a walk through the forest。 It's not quite poetry， but it's closer to beach-read than you might expect。Not far from some ponderosas were switches of bluebunch wheatgrass -- seeds alternately clasping each side of the main stalk， like hands climbing a rope。 Feathery Queen Anne's lace grew knee-high in scattered bunches to cope with the aridity。 Hearing the Indian story of the networks among trees got me wondering if the grasses， flowers， and shrubs along this trail might be micorrhizal too。 All but a few of the world's plant species - such as those grown on farms that are either naturally nonmycorrhizal or are irrigated and fertilized - require the helper fungi to soak up enough water and nutrients to survive。 I pulled out some bunchgrasses with their pale blue-green sheaths， and a thick fan of rhizomes fell loose as I squinted at the root tips， hoping for the fat， colorful fungi I'd seen on the roots of healthy tree seedlings。Bit of a spoiler here: Simard is， herself， the mother tree。 Hers is indeed a remarkable story。 Some tree out there was chopped down and turned into my copy of the book。 Not a bad fate for that tree。 。。。more
Elise Noorda
，
While I loved the ideas from the book - interconnectedness and communication in nature - it was just really long and hard to get through。 I would have loved an article version。 :） （The author does do an excellent TED Talk on Mother Trees and her research， and that takes under 20 minutes）
Veronica
，
An excellent read。 Granted， some of the scientific language in the early chapters was a bit challenging to get through， but it all makes sense later on。 Thank you Suzanne for sharing such a truly heroic journey。
MacGregor Obergfell
，
Part memoir， part science， the author does a great job of finding balance between the two and deftly describes complex science in an accessible manner。 Highly recommend！
Monty
，
Excellent book
Lucy Briggs
，
Lucia recommended。
Lauryn LeBlanc
，
Wish I could give it 6 stars。 Everybody should read this book。 An absolute delight
Deirdre
，
So grateful for lives lived in this way。 Really pushing our collective understanding of life。 And she writes a good story/memoir too。
Havalah Turner
，
Really a 3。5 almost 4。 I really enjoyed her story and was fascinated by her research。 Trees are amazing。
Pam
，
I loved this book！ So exciting to read about cutting-edge， paradigm-shifting environmental science firsthand - from our lifetime！ Very sciency with lots of experiment descriptions， that I just allowed myself to take in without getting bogged down。 Loved it！
Oceana
，
I really enjoyed this overall and learning about the science of how the trees take care of each other was beyond interesting。
Cheryl Ames
，
This is a very important book and I’m glad I stayed with it even when the science was bogging me down！ It’s written as a narrative and includes quite beautiful descriptions of how the forest world works， how humans have damaged so much of it， and what we can do to help the forests recover。 The author’s writing chronicles the struggles of forests， developing new understandings in a field entrenched by traditional practices and ways of understanding， fighting for her place as a woman in a male dom This is a very important book and I’m glad I stayed with it even when the science was bogging me down！ It’s written as a narrative and includes quite beautiful descriptions of how the forest world works， how humans have damaged so much of it， and what we can do to help the forests recover。 The author’s writing chronicles the struggles of forests， developing new understandings in a field entrenched by traditional practices and ways of understanding， fighting for her place as a woman in a male dominated profession， battling breast cancer that likely resulted from various types of chemical and radiation exposures in her work， being a mother in the midst of a career that took so much time and energy。 “Connection， communication， cohesion”“Everything in the universe is connected。”“I believe this kind of transformative thinking is what will save us。 It is a philosophy of treating the world’s creatures， its gifts， as equal importance to us…。 We can continue pushing our earth out of balance… or we can regain our balance by acknowledging that if we harm one species， one forest， one lake， this ripples through the entire complex web。”A short video with the author about how trees are interconnected:https://www。karmatube。org/videos。php？。。。 。。。more
Michael Madden
，
A most enjoyable book about Dr。 Simard's ecological experiments and subsequent discoveries in the old growth forests in British Columbia。 I am surprised that I had not heard of the work prior to her book， but that just makes the book even more important。 I felt there was a missed opportunity to delve a wee bit further into what it takes to design an experiment， but I certainly did feel that she did a wonderful job of explaining experimental designs and the results。 Yes， I did put the science fir A most enjoyable book about Dr。 Simard's ecological experiments and subsequent discoveries in the old growth forests in British Columbia。 I am surprised that I had not heard of the work prior to her book， but that just makes the book even more important。 I felt there was a missed opportunity to delve a wee bit further into what it takes to design an experiment， but I certainly did feel that she did a wonderful job of explaining experimental designs and the results。 Yes， I did put the science first。 The book is also about her life growing up in British Columbia and becoming a scientist。 The stories of her hikes and trips into the forests with her family and friends were most enjoyable。 。。。more
Corey Thibodeaux
，
I probably stumbled into the wrong book here。 I did not expect a majority of this to be a biography， but I don't want to outright dismiss this book's merit。 While the science of how trees communicate is nothing short of majestic， Simard's story further supports a tale as old as man: money rules。 I admire Simard and her contemporaries - any progress in environmentalism seems like a painstaking task。 I was reading this as SCOTUS voted to reduce the EPA's power， so it all checks out。 We'll doom our I probably stumbled into the wrong book here。 I did not expect a majority of this to be a biography， but I don't want to outright dismiss this book's merit。 While the science of how trees communicate is nothing short of majestic， Simard's story further supports a tale as old as man: money rules。 I admire Simard and her contemporaries - any progress in environmentalism seems like a painstaking task。 I was reading this as SCOTUS voted to reduce the EPA's power， so it all checks out。 We'll doom ourselves for the pursuit of something we made up。 。。。more
Eric Walters
，
Interesting mix of science and memoir， with thought-provoking insight on forest ecosystems。
Cathy
，
What a book … definitely a favourite read。
Logan
，
It's hard to overstate how engaging， thought provoking， and entertaining this book is。 The author's natural story telling ability couples well with the scientific research into how forests thrive and survive。 A fascinating walk through complex ecology mirrored against the life and personal anecdotes of the scientist exploring them。 This is a book that should not be missed by anyone。 It's hard to overstate how engaging， thought provoking， and entertaining this book is。 The author's natural story telling ability couples well with the scientific research into how forests thrive and survive。 A fascinating walk through complex ecology mirrored against the life and personal anecdotes of the scientist exploring them。 This is a book that should not be missed by anyone。 。。。more
Amanda Nohowec
，
Wonderful！
Kara Smemoe
，