The Western New York Land Conservancy is thrilled to host Dr. Suzanne Simard, author of the memoir Finding the Mother Tree, for a livestreamed virtual event on June 16. Simard will give a brief presentation on her pioneering work and participate in a conversation with Nancy Smith, the Land Conservancy’s executive director.
When: June 16, 7:00 to 8:30 p.m.
Where: YouTube
This event is free, but participants must register to attend: wnylc.org/finding-the-mother-tree
Dr. Suzanne Simard © Brendan Ko
Dr. Simard is a pioneer on the frontier of plant communication and intelligence; she’s been compared to Rachel Carson and hailed as a scientist who conveys complex, technical ideas in a way that is dazzling and profound. Her work has influenced filmmakers (the Tree of Souls of James Cameron’s Avatar) and her TED talks have been viewed by more than 10 million people worldwide. She recently appeared on “Fresh Air” with Terry Gross.
In her first book, Finding the Mother Tree, Dr. Simard brings us into her world, the intimate world of the trees, in which she brilliantly illuminates the fascinating and vital truths — that trees are not simply the source of timber or pulp, but are a complicated, interdependent circle of life; that forests are social, cooperative creatures connected through underground networks by which trees communicate their vitality and vulnerabilities with communal lives not that different from our own.
Dr. Simard’s work goes to the heart of the Land Conservancy’s ongoing efforts to save the Allegany Wildlands, a stunning 200-acre forest located near Allegany State Park. The Allegany Wildlands is home to several surviving American Chestnut trees, a threatened fern, and native orchids, as well as black bear and bobcats. It is representative of the types of forest communities Dr. Simard explores in her book. Protecting the Allegany Wildlands will kick off an ambitious idea — creating the Western New York Wildway. The Wildway will be a connected corridor of protected lands that stretches from the vast forests of northern Pennsylvania to the Great Lakes, through to the Finger Lakes, the Adirondacks and beyond. The Land Conservancy has until the end of this year to raise $879,000 to purchase the property and open it as a publicly accessible nature preserve.
Talking Leaves Books in Buffalo is the official bookseller of Finding the Mother Tree: An Evening with Dr. Suzanne Simard. Please consider supporting them and purchasing books in their store or on their website. The public is welcome to submit questions in advance of the event to Kyle Semmel, communications manager, via email at
ks*****@wn***.org
. Selected individuals will be asked to read their questions live during the event.
Praise for Finding the Mother Tree
“This book promises to change our understanding about what is really going on in the forest, and other pressing mysteries about the real world.” — Michael Pollan
“The stories Simard tells, and the insights she draws from them, will inspire readers and change the way they think about the world around them.” — Catherine Gehring, professor of biology at Northern Arizona University
“This book will have profound implications for our human relationships with the natural world. The insights presented by Dr. Simard point toward a complete paradigm shift in the ways we humans interact with forests, trees and other species.” — Nancy Jean Turner, professor of ethnobotany at the University of Victoria, author of The Earth’s Blanket
The Western New York Land Conservancy is a regional, nonprofit land trust that has protected more than 7,000 acres of land with significant conservation value in Western New York for the benefit of future generations. We envision a future in which forests, farms, meadows and waterways are connected, cherished and protected in Western New York. Our clean air, clean water and fertile soils will equitably support the health and wellbeing of future generations of every living thing. The Land Conservancy is accredited by the Land Trust Accreditation Commission. For more information on upcoming events, volunteer opportunities or the mission of the Western New York Land Conservancy, please call (716) 687-1225 or visit www.wnylc.org.
