Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

One of the world’s leading forest ecologists recounts her lifelong experimentation with tree-to-tree communication. In this memoir/scientific exploration, Simard tells the fascinating story that led Richard Powers to base a character on her in his Pulitzer Prize–winning novel The Overstory. Simard focuses on her work probing the nature of forest society and how the constellation of various species tree hubs (in particular, “mother trees”) interacts with mycorrhizal (fungal) links to send chemical signals to each other. When she started in the early 1980s, this type of thinking was dismissed as New Age–y and nonscientific. However, growing up in the woods of western Canada, the author had practical experience studying the rejuvenation of clear-cuts, and she thought there was likely more going on with the trees, a complex and interconnected force that clear-cutting and subsequent monocultural reseeding was missing. Simard charts her yearslong inquiry into the underground wiring of trees, among a variety of species, as it advanced alongside the growth of her own family. These parallel, intimate stories are equally absorbing, and the author’s descriptions of the science involved in her pioneering research are consistently engaging. “Plants use their neural-like physiology to perceive their environment,” she writes. “Their leaves, stems, and roots sense and comprehend their surroundings, then alter their physiology—their growth, ability to forage for nutrients, photosyn-thetic rates, and closure rates of stomata for saving water.” The author is candid about the sexism she has confronted throughout her career as well as the academic beard-pulling over the originality of her scientific results—e.g., her early recognition of the effects of climate change or the “kin recognition from Mother Trees.” Though some readers may not appreciate Simard’s frequent anthropomorphism, the science is solid, and the author’s overarching theme of stewardship is clear, understandable, and necessary. Trees don’t just stand there, Simard convincingly argues, but perceive, respond, connect, and converse. Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

One of the worlds leading forest ecologists recounts her lifelong experimentation with tree-to-tree communication.In this memoir/scientific exploration, Simard tells the fascinating story that led Richard Powers to base a character on her in his Pulitzer Prizewinning novel The Overstory. Simard focuses on her work probing the nature of forest society and how the constellation of various species tree hubs (in particular, mother trees) interacts with mycorrhizal (fungal) links to send chemical signals to each other. When she started in the early 1980s, this type of thinking was dismissed as New Agey and nonscientific. However, growing up in the woods of western Canada, the author had practical experience studying the rejuvenation of clear-cuts, and she thought there was likely more going on with the trees, a complex and interconnected force that clear-cutting and subsequent monocultural reseeding was missing. Simard charts her yearslong inquiry into the underground wiring of trees, among a variety of species, as it advanced alongside the growth of her own family. These parallel, intimate stories are equally absorbing, and the authors descriptions of the science involved in her pioneering research are consistently engaging. Plants use their neural-like physiology to perceive their environment, she writes. Their leaves, stems, and roots sense and comprehend their surroundings, then alter their physiologytheir growth, ability to forage for nutrients, photosynthetic rates, and closure rates of stomata for saving water. The author is candid about the sexism she has confronted throughout her career as well as the academic beard-pulling over the originality of her scientific resultse.g., her early recognition of the effects of climate change or the kin recognition from Mother Trees. Though some readers may not appreciate Simards frequent anthropomorphism, the science is solid, and the authors overarching theme of stewardship is clear, understandable, and necessary.Trees dont just stand there, Simard convincingly argues, but perceive, respond, connect, and converse. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.