Finding The Mother Tree
By Suzanne Simard

By now, the discovery of the vast network of mycelium within the forest floor has been shared on a global scale. Although the way the fungal network supports the ecological health of the forest hasn’t quite become common knowledge, scientists like Suzanne Simard make it more likely for that to be possible. In her biography Finding the Mother Tree, Simard shares her personal journey into the science beneath the “wood-wide web.” She compares the day-to-day care of a mother to the day-to-day care of a mother tree for the forest, and how they create a network of support to nurture the life around them. Her wholesome approach to teaching shows us why scientific communicators are necessary. She breaks down scientific cycles such as photosynthesis and mycorrhizal symbiosis into easily understandable concepts in a way that is neither long-winded or patronizing. By interspersing scientific observations within the larger narrative, Simard’s story gives the reader a nostalgic feeling, like we’re students on a field trip observing the forest floor with a magnifying glass. A fresh breath in scientific writing, to be sure.

​

I was pleased to find that this book is not just about forests and fungi, but it is a fascinating look into humanity. Simard weaves her tale about families with the intricacies of forest ecology. I was inspired by the strength she finds within the forest during times of hardship. Her metaphor of how the older established trees, mother and grandmother trees, work to support the health of the forest and share resources even as they die is profound from the perspective of a mother. She shows the reader that just as our families are complex and work in their own unique way to endure hardship, so does the family within a forest. The narrative navigates significant family events, such as motherhood, terminal illness, and loss, with an understanding of how the network created by family is meant to support during these times and how that network benefits the whole. By converging the two distinct paths of ecology and family, the significance of Simard’s research becomes clear.

​

Her anthropomorphization of the forest makes the science behind these trees and their fungi relatable and inspirational. Through the use of simple everyday stories to explain complex ideas about the synergistic nature of the forest, Simard shows us a forest tapestry that is not just trees, but also the soil, insects, fungi, and flowers working in harmony to create a healthy whole. Ultimately, we begin to see that without these intricacies the whole is not possible, just as the interwovenness of a family is not possible without all its members.

​

The richness and diversity of the region is captured by Simard’s visceral descriptions of the forest habitats she works within. It is unfortunate that the root of this woodland love story is logging. Suzanne Simard grew up in a family that practiced regenerative logging techniques in Canada. When she first starts working in forestry as a young undergrad, Simard finds her love of the woods at odds with the modern logging industry and its goals. Standard industry policy and practices don't focus on the health and sustainability of the forest, but on the productivity of the most valuable timber. Frequently faced with the choice of advocating for the trees or risking her job, Simard grapples with the distinction between deforestation and logging.

​

The richness and diversity of the region is captured by Simard’s visceral descriptions of the forest habitats she works within. It is unfortunate that the root of this woodland love story is logging. Suzanne Simard grew up in a family that practiced regenerative logging techniques in Canada. When she first starts working in forestry as a young undergrad, Simard finds her love of the woods at odds with the modern logging industry and its goals. Standard industry policy and practices don't focus on the health and sustainability of the forest, but on the productivity of the most valuable timber. Frequently faced with the choice of advocating for the trees or risking her job, Simard grapples with the distinction between deforestation and logging.

​

When she gazes out over clear-cut valleys edged with emerald cathedrals of ancient trees marked for logging, she feels not only her family’s claim to care for the land, but also the trees’ rightful claim. It takes some time for Simard to be a successful advocate for policy change, but she takes the reader on that journey with her. Simard turns her gaze to experiments done in an effort to promote regenerative forestry practices, specifically rallying against the use of herbicides and clear-cutting. The “Free to Grow” policy in Canada demands that plantations be clear-cut and void of native species to allow for valuable timber to grow without competition. Simard discovers that the policy’s practices are hurting the trees more than helping them by ultimately killing the fungi and other flora that help the trees survive times of drought and disease. Despite these discoveries, Simard struggles to affect change in an industry that is only geared towards bottom-line profits.

​

It was a visceral experience to read Simard’s description of the devastation wrought by clearcutting. I remember as a child riding in the car down the same stretch of Interstate 5 she takes in her book, south of Seattle going into Oregon. I remember resting my head against the window of the car, doodling in the condensation left by my breath, when suddenly the verdant background outside my window dropped away to reveal a deep scar across the forest. The trees had been massacred, their stumps lay ripped up and discarded in jagged broken heaps on the forest floor. The rich soil was exposed: dark with the humus created from hundreds of years of healthy forest, teaming with a world of microscopic life that would be unable to survive in the wake of the destruction. It made my heart squeeze as a child, and Simard elicits the same response with her prose.

​

This book is compelling and enlightening in equal measure and Simard constructs one of the most exhilarating chapters on forestry history I have ever encountered. A ski trip where she turns prey to wolves is rich with metaphor for her fight against destructive logging practices. The parallels drawn between a pregnant mother skiing with wolves and her battle against the forestry policymakers is an unmistakable labeling of the predators she is up against. Troubling facts about the consequences of deforestation are served in tandem with her story about escaping the woods while being hunted creates a disturbing, almost panicky feeling about these facts.

​

On the crisp beautiful afternoon, she laments “There should be a special word for the type of morning that is to come,” followed by the shocking: “In a decade, 18 million hectares of this mature pine forest would be dead.” Simard expertly manufactures the emotional reaction we should all have about the state of the forest and humanity’s role in it. Readers who hail from the Pacific Northwest in particular will appreciate the historical background on logging and the subsequent consequences. Having grown up with the plight of the western red cedar and raging wildfires myself, I appreciated the cause and effect provided by the author.

​

This book is ideally listened to as an audiobook, which the author narrates herself. Her voice brings a mother’s warmth to the story, which is rich with Canadian colloquialisms like “cats on linoleum” and “scarce as hen's teeth”. Simard reading through her experiments also makes it easier to deal with the minutiae of scientific writing. The particulars of her experiments can be tedious sometimes, although it later becomes apparent why she goes to such lengths to explain them. Simard’s research faced intense scrutiny for her findings, and the criticism that challenged her science had a profound effect on her confidence. Part of her fight for validity was against the misogynistic nature inherent in the industry at the time. Although this is a point she would have been justified to dwell on, she simply weaves the injustices into the overall narrative, making it less of a focus and more of an underlying theme that many readers can identify with.

​

To offset her dry but specific descriptions of her experiments, Simard tends to bookend these sections with “slice of life” moments, reminding readers that this is a story about family and forests. She includes her family members on many experiments and that narrative interwoven with the ecology of trees is an enlightening look at the cycles of nature that affect us all. Simard’s sister acted as an aid for many of her experiments and supported her in moments of vulnerability when Simard questioned her involvement in the logging industry. Simard’s brother constructed a fortress-like fence to protect one of her experiments from cows and when her father visits the fortified project, as readers we are gifted the tender moment of a father admiring the skilled craftsmanship of his son. Moments of quiet appreciation are what this novel is built on and Simard’s skill in capturing the subtleties of human emotion are what make the scientific and technical contents less cumbersome to sort through.

​

In her investigation into the concept of mother trees –old trees that support the health of younger trees via the mitochondrial network– Simard also explores the complexities of motherhood and family. Just as Simard uses her family to get through difficult times, so does the forest weather hardships by supporting each other. The principles of reciprocity don’t just apply to these ecosystems, they apply to ourselves. The decades-long work that Simard does is for the sake of the forest, not academic hubris, and that intention follows her through her career. Included in the story is a network of professors, grad students, and forestry professionals that worked together to accomplish the goal of sustainable forestry practices. Although this fight has not yet been won, Simard does see the cumulation of her efforts and continues her crusade even in the face of deep personal loss.

​

Additionally, Simard makes an important point: that we have a responsibility to the land. She freely admits “I come from a family of loggers, and I am not unmindful that we need trees for our livelihoods, but…with taking something comes the obligation to give back.” Simard’s book is a significant gift, both to the reader and the forest. The way Simard’s knowledgeable eye takes in the forest and its vast network is fascinating. The distinct differences between types of woodlands are not something the average person has the knowledge to appreciate, but Simard gives the reader the ability to recognize these differences and why the diversity of the forest is paramount.

​