Finding the Mother Tree

"Finding the Mother Tree

By Suzanne Simard (2021)

Considering that plants provide us with food, shelter and the oxygen we breathe, it's remarkable that fundamental research on the biology of plants is supported so meagerly in North America. Suzanne Simard's contributions to tree biology arose from an unlikely origin: She grew up in a family of loggers in British Columbia. Her first research job was meant to justify the government's policy of clear-cutting old-growth timber and then planting fir seedlings and spraying herbicides to help the replacement trees be "free to grow."

Instead, her careful observations -- and later, her meticulous experiments -- revealed that an underground network of fungi connects trees in a healthy forest, transporting nutrients between birch and conifers and even conferring resistance to root disease.

The mandated reforestation practices destroyed these natural connections, satisfying the letter of the law but impeding regrowth. Ms. Simard is an engaging storyteller, adroitly interweaving tales of her adventures and research in the deep woods. In the end, she brings scientific support to the idea that all living things are connected." [1]

All living things are not only connected, they help each other, and thus everyone more easily survives the difficulties that inevitably arise for all life. It doesn't matter if it's the fungi exploiting the trees or the trees succeeding thanks to the fungi, it's probably good for both. We humans used to be able to do the same, but in these days of liberalism based on individualism, we have given up and forgotten. In the face of climate catastrophe, this blindness of ours could end badly for us and many other living things.

1. REVIEW --- Books -- Five Best: On Breakthroughs in Biology: Thomas R. Cech --- The author of 'The Catalyst: RNA and the Quest to Unlock Life's Deepest Secrets'. Cech, Thomas R.  Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 18 May 2024: C.8.