Finding the Mother Tree - Susan Simard

We met on Zoom to discuss Suzanne Simard’s book Finding the Mother Tree with some members drawing comparisons with another book on a similar theme, The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben. Finding the Mother Tree is a positive and interesting account of one scientist’s passionate commitment to investigating the mysterious connections between trees and the mutual support that exists between different species. The scientific detail in Simard’s book was not always easy to follow but one could usually get the gist of what was going on. Her book does not make much mention of negative interactions between trees and the life surrounding them, such as the toxic effect of Black Walnut on other trees. We were impressed by her openness to exploring the traditional beliefs and wisdom of the indigenous peoples of her native Canada.

We came away from the book with a better understanding of how little is known about the deeply complex interconnectivities within the natural environment and convinced that this understanding is surely set to increase in the years to come.

The BBC has made a video which is a great introduction to the Wood Wide Web that this book speaks about, and its implications for Climate Change. A version of the video can be found here.