B.C. professor's Mother Tree research branches out to bestselling book, movie deal
A British Columbia forestry professor's unique research and bestselling book mapping how trees are deeply connected communities has gained the attention of Hollywood.
Prof. Suzanne Simard of the University of B.C. says she's overwhelmed by the new-found celebrity status, but wants to continue her focus on saving the forests.
Simard said she expects to sign a deal within a few weeks to become an executive producer in a movie about her life and research after production companies backed by actors Jake Gyllenhaal and Amy Adams won the film rights to her book,“Finding The Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest.”
“Amy Adams is going to play me, apparently,” said Simard. “That's the plan. Yes, it's kind of weird.”
The movie, book and ongoing research will serve to broaden worldwide knowledge about the sophisticated relationships trees have with the environment and will build public concern about the threats they face, she said.
“I would rather not have my life splattered out on the movies, but I'm interested in helping us all move forward in a more sustainable way,” Simard, 61, said in an interview from Nelson, B.C.
“People are hungry for solutions, so that's what I'm hoping people will learn from this,” she said. “It's transformational. That's what I'm hoping for.”
Simard said her book is a personal story of a decades-long journey that starts with her being a new hire at a B.C. Interior forest company in the 1980s, moves to her increasing concerns as a government researcher about clear-cut logging policies and then her determined pursuit as a university ecologist to prove forests are communities and mother trees are their lifeblood.
“They're actually like societies,” Simard said. “They have these deep relationships with each other, the trees do, and with all the other creatures in the forest. It's like this big interrelated community and there are all kinds of sophisticated ways that they communicate and interact with each other.”
She said her work was often subjected to pushback by others who considered forests to be more competitive than co-operative environments.
But Simard said she was undaunted. Working in Douglas fir forests near Kamloops, B.C., she was able to produce a map showing trees are connected through underground fungal root systems that allow trees to share carbon, water and other nutrients.
Trees are also able to transmit information about potential disease and pest threats to other trees through this network, she said.
“What we found in connecting this map is that pretty much all of the trees were connected together,” said Simard. “They had multiple linkages with each other and what emerged from the map is the biggest, oldest trees were the most highly connected.
“That's why we started calling it the mother tree, because all this convergence of information led us to realize that these old trees were really essential,” she said. “They're like the nucleus of the forest in regenerating the forest.”
Simard leads UBC's Mother Tree Project, established in 2015 to explore how tree connections and communication can influence forest recovery and better understand the impact of climate change on forests.
She said she has been consulting with major B.C. forest companies on initiatives designed to set aside more tracts of old-growth forest in areas slated for harvest to preserve more mother trees and biodiversity.
Her determined pursuit of her research in the face of peer criticism earned praise earlier this year from an unlikely source during an episode of the award-winning television show “Ted Lasso.”
“You know we used to believe that trees competed with each other for light,” said a “Ted Lasso” character during a scene about unheralded work eventually paying off. “Suzanne Simard's field work challenged that perception, and we now realize that the forest is a socialist community. Trees work in harmony to share the sunlight.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'It's just not fair': Retirees speak out on being excluded from federal rebate cheques
Carol Sheaves of Moncton, N.B., says it's not fair that retirees like her won't get the government's newly proposed rebate cheques. Sheaves was among the seniors who expressed their frustrations to CTVNews.ca about not being eligible for the $250 government benefit.
Montreal mayor says Friday pro-Palestinian protests were taken over by 'professional vandals'
Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante told journalists 'professional vandals' took over protests and smashed windows at the Palais des Congres.
Warren Buffett gives away another US$1.1B, announces plans for distributing $147B fortune after death
Investor Warren Buffett renewed his Thanksgiving tradition of giving by announcing plans Monday to hand more than US$1.1 billion of Berkshire Hathaway stock to four of his family's foundations, and he offered new details about who will be handing out the rest of his fortune after his death.
Canada Post says progress 'limited' at negotiating table as strike continues
Canada Post says they have made 'limited progress' with the union at the negotiating table 11 days after the strike began.
BREAKING Judge delays resentencing hearing for Menendez brothers
A judge has delayed a scheduled resentencing hearing for Lyle and Erik Menendez.
Justin Trudeau defends spending record on military amid fresh criticism
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is defending his government's record on supporting national defence, following fresh criticism that Canada is failing to live up to its NATO defence-spending commitments.
CEOs demand changes to Liberals' military spending plan
The federal government risks jeopardizing the economy unless it meets its NATO military alliance spending obligations within the next five years, says the Business Council of Canada.
U.S. driver makes wrong turn to Canadian border, gets arrested for unlawfully possessing a gun
A 62-year-old man from the U.S., who took a wrong turn to the Canadian border thanks to his GPS device, is now facing a firearms-related charge.
Toronto mother now facing murder charge in death of four-month old baby
Toronto police say they have charged a mother with second-degree murder following the death of her infant, who was found with critical injuries in midtown Toronto last week.