Forests around the world face growing threats from human activity and a changing climate. Yet within these ecosystems lie intricate cycles of renewal that hold the key to their survival. Forest ecologist Suzanne Simard—whose groundbreaking research revealed the intricate communication networks connecting trees—explores how nature’s regenerative systems, rooted in interconnection, adaptation, and balance, can guide more sustainable approaches to forest stewardship.
Drawing on decades of research in her native British Columbia, Simard approaches the forest as a symphony of carefully tuned processes—from mushrooms breaking down fallen logs to aging “mother trees” passing resources and genetic knowledge to younger ones. Simard, who has worked closely with local Indigenous communities whose sustainable forestry practices have been overlooked, examines how modern interventions—especially the destruction of these vital overstory elders—threaten new growth and long-term resilience.
Simard uncovers how nature’s deep-rooted cycles of renewal can sustain threatened ecosystems and demonstrates how recognizing these interdependent relationships offers a powerful path forward for the future of forests.
Her book When the Forest Breathes: Renewal and Resilience in the Natural World (Knopf), is available for purchase.
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