Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest

Born in 1960, Simard is a scientist and professor currently working in the department of forest conservation sciences at the University of British Columbia. She grew up in the Monashee Mountain range of British Columbia and received her doctorate in forest sciences at Oregon State University. Her research into mycorrhizal networks and interspecies cooperation led to her recognition of Mother Trees, now a well-regarded concept in ecological studies, which funnel resources and warning signals to their seedlings through their mycorrhizal root network.

Simard’s memoir charts the parallel tracks of her career and personal life, beginning with her curiosity about how the forest heals itself and whether it is a social ecosystem. The skepticism with which the scientific community initially met Simard’s theories about Nature and Generosity echo its skepticism of Simard herself as a woman in a traditionally male profession. Particularly in Simard’s early career, the struggle to be taken seriously sometimes forced Simard to compromise her own ethics—e.g., by supporting herbicide techniques to gain necessary research experience. To make strides in professional, academic, and scientific communities, Simard also had to overcome her fear of public speaking and her reservations about failing to meet gendered expectations.