In 'Finding the Mother Tree,' Suzanne Simard combines her personal narrative with scientific insights to reveal the complex, interdependent relationships within forest ecosystems. The book highlights her research on the 'Wood Wide Web,' a network of mycorrhizal fungi that connects trees, allowing them to share nutrients and information. Simard also shares her personal journey, including her upbringing in the rainforests of British Columbia, her struggles within the male-dominated logging industry, and her groundbreaking experiments that challenge conventional wisdom about forest ecology. The book emphasizes the cooperative nature of trees, particularly the role of 'Mother Trees' as hubs in these networks, and explores the implications of this research for sustainable forestry and combating climate change.
Trees aren’t just competing for sunlight and soil—they’re also looking out for one another. Scientist Suzanne Simard reveals the unexpected ways trees communicate, share resources, and support us.
Summary: We dive into what we can learn from the neural networks of forests, evolution and cooperation, and how trees are a fundamental solution to the climate crises we are facing today with ecologist Suzanne Simard. She also shares her forest gratitude practice and invites us to reflect on what it means to feel a sense of belonging in the forest.
How To Do This Practice:
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Go to a forest or natural space, ideally near yew trees or other trees you feel connected to.
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Sit quietly, even if you're tired or unwell, and allow yourself to simply be there.
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Acknowledge the presence and life of the trees around you.
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Offer your gratitude to the trees—for their medicine, their strength, or simply their being.
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If you're with loved ones, invite them to join in the gratitude.
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Feel the connection between yourself, the trees, and your companions.
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Return to this practice as often as you can, letting the forest remind you that you're not alone.
Scroll down for a transcription of this episode.
Today’s Guests:
DR. SUZANNE SIMARD is a professor of Forest Ecology at the University of British Columbia and the author of Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest.
Read her book here: https://tinyurl.com/bdfy463z
Related The Science of Happiness episodes:
How Water Heals: https://tinyurl.com/utuhrnh3
Experience Nature Wherever You Are, with Dacher (Encore): https://tinyurl.com/aj34s585
The Healing Effects of Experiencing Wildlife: https://tinyurl.com/49pkk6eu
Related Happiness Breaks:
How To Ground Yourself in Nature: https://tinyurl.com/25ftdxpm
Pause to Look at the Sky: https://tinyurl.com/4jttkbw3
A Walking Meditation: https://tinyurl.com/mwbsen7a
Tell us about your experience connecting with nature. Email us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or follow on Instagram @HappinessPod.
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Transcription: https://tinyurl.com/yvrd9jje
The Science of Happiness 