Amy Adams-led film adaptation of Finding the Mother Tree is in works says author Suzanne Simard
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Keeping with the scientific memoir format, When The Forest Breathes delivers rigorous science through relatable stories of dedication and determination from a small team of ecologists and Indigenous community members who are versed in traditional forest stewardship.
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Sun Spots
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Throughout the book, warnings are delivered alongside a hopeful vision of what can be accomplished through building more responsible relationships with the forests surrounding us.
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“In the Forest Breathes, I talk about how we’re trying different ways of retaining old trees, of maintaining the legacies of the forests of the connections, of encouraging those connections,” said Simard. “Then I draw on Indigenous ways of knowing and seeing and valuing to show that we actually all have this understanding in us already, and then provide examples of how to do that using their ancestral practices.”
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She also reminds the reader that humans are intrinsically part of the ecosystem.
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“We are one of many creatures in the forest. We belong there. We’re part of these cycles,” said Simard. “We are Mother Earth.”
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Often a vulnerable narrative, When The Forest Breathes settles in and around Simard’s own life, including her health, and the deaths of her mother and her colleague, PhD student and close friend Amanda Asay.
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“I use that memoir sort of approach to bring the humanity to science and to show that scientists are people, and we do this from our hearts,” said Simard. “It makes it interesting to read science when it’s woven with the human story.”
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While Simard’s work highlights the very connected world of the forest, it’s also a reminder of the power in teamwork. And the importance of intergenerational knowledge gathering and sharing.
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“It’s an act of love. When we do this together, that it’s a very joyful thing,” said Simard.
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It’s also an imperative approach as The Mother Tree Project isn’t something that will be wrapping up anytime soon.
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“This project is a 100-year project. In some places where the trees live to 500 years, it’s a 500-year project,” said Simard. “So, it’s multi-generational, which means that these students being trained and doing the work, they have a responsibility to carry it forward. And that’s done on purpose.”
