The Mother
Tree Project

The Mother Tree Project was launched in 2015 by world renowned forest ecologist Dr. Suzanne Simard, and author of the recent publication, Finding the Mother Tree. This project is a ground-breaking, long-term forestry experiment designed to identify future forestry management practices that will help our forests remain productive, diverse and resilient as the climate changes.

This project builds on Dr. Simard’s extensive research showing that elder trees, or mother trees, facilitate recovery of the forests from disturbances such as fire and logging by transmitting information through mycorrhizal fungal networks to germinating seedlings, helping them survive and grow. This research has transformed how global ecologists view forests — from simply a collection of competing trees to an interdependent web of organisms in a complex adaptive system.

Your donation will support Dr. Simard’s ongoing research of managing forests for resilience, and the mitigation of catastrophic disturbances from wildfire. With your help Dr. Simard and her team can research and implement the best practices of forest harvesting and regeneration treatments that will successfully balance wood production, carbon storage, biodiversity, and other ecosystem services that will contribute to British Columbia’s forests and a healthier planet.