In this episode of Spoken Earth, Adam Weymouth discusses the work of forest ecologist Suzanne Simard, who has spent a lifetime uncovering the hidden networks that bind the forest together. Suzanne Simard is a professor in the Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences at the University of British Columbia. After battling for years to have her science recognised, it has begun gathering wide attention, not just in the scientific community, but featuring in Richard Powers' Pulitzer prize-winning The Overstory and James Cameron's 2009 blockbuster Avatar. She has recently published her own book, Finding the Mother Tree, both a biography and a scientific journey of discovery. It unearths a story of community within our forests, and of how ecosystems do not only compete, but also yearn to cooperate.

Find the full story here:

Podcast by Lacuna Magazine www.lacuna.org.uk

Interviewer: Adam Weymouth www.adamweymouth.com

Producer and musician: Ulli Mattsson www.ullimattsson.com

Further reading:

Suzanne Simard https://suzannesimard.com/

The Mother Tree Project https://mothertreeproject.org/

TED talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/suzanne_simard_how_trees_talk_to_each_other?language=en

The Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences https://fcs.forestry.ubc.ca/

TerreWEB (Terrestrial Research on Ecosystem and Worldwide Education and Broadcast) https://soilweb.ca/terreweb/

Richard Powers' The Overstory https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2018/06/richard-powers-the-overstory/559106/

Avatar and the Real Life Wood Wide Web https://fantasticfungi.com/the-mush-room/avatar-and-the-real-life-wood-wide-web/

[Image of Suzanne Simard by Diana Markosian]