Willow Defebaugh and Suzanne Simard discuss Simard’s new book “Finding the Mother Tree”. Simard’s book weaves together her personal story and scientific journey and findings. Simard scientifically proves that forests are interconnected communities, communicating and supporting one another through an intricate root and fungal system. Mother trees, the oldest trees, are integral to these communities by sharing energy and passing wisdom to the younger trees. Her research challenges the Western idea of competition in nature. Rather, both competition and cooperation exist together in these complex communities. Simard’s research supports knowledge long-held by Indigenous Peoples: that we are all connected, we are all one. Simard looked to the spirituality of the forests to try to understand their complexity. Photo credit: Colin Dodgson/Atmos
