The World, the Universe and Us The Wood Wide Web: The Forest Discovery That Sparked a Backlash
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Apr 27, 2026 
Suzanne Simard, forest ecologist and bestselling author who uncovered the 'wood wide web' of fungal tree connections. She discusses mother trees and how fungal networks shuttle resources between species. She recalls the scientific backlash, her Amazon learning with indigenous peoples, and the push to shift forestry from extraction to regenerative, holistic practices.
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Trees Form Cooperative Underground Societies
- Trees form societies connected below ground via fungal networks that shuttle carbon and other resources between species.
- Simard's experiments in British Columbia showed photosynthate moves between paper birch and Douglas fir, shifting with season and tree condition.
Resource Flows Are Context Dependent
- Resource flow in the network is dynamic and depends on photosynthetic ability, season and shading.
- Richer trees supply carbon to shaded or stressed trees, so facilitation changes in synchrony with environmental conditions.
Amazon Visit Reconnected Science With Indigenous Knowledge
- After a devastating personal period Simard visited the Amazon and learned from the Ashuar people's dream culture and tree reverence.
- Their language and practices framed trees as ancestors and validated her own relational view of forests.
