Forestry expert articulates a view of forests as interconnected communities bound by mycorrhizal networks, rather than as mere collections of individual trees.

Her groundbreaking 1997 Nature paper, The Wood Wide Web, introduced nutrient sharing via underground networks and popularized the idea of mother trees that nurture surrounding forests.

Since 2015, she has led the Mother Tree Project, advocating sustainable forestry by leaving large mother trees to bolster regeneration and resilience against clear-cutting.

She contends that intensive logging and replacement with single-species plantations have raised fire risk and shifted Canada’s forests from carbon sinks to net emitters since 2001.

She criticizes traditional scientific methods as slow and siloed, urging holistic, systems-based approaches that incorporate Indigenous knowledge and urgent action on climate change.

She remains hopeful public pressure can drive improvements in forestry practices and sustain dialogue and reform, even in the face of potential backlash.

Her books, Finding the Mother Tree (2021) and When the Forest Breathes (2024), blend science with memoir to inspire public agency on forestry reform, including personal experiences with illness and loss.

Political dynamics between Canada and the United States shape forestry policy, with climate realities boosting Canadian public demand for action despite geopolitical tensions.

She highlights climate implications of forest management, stressing that current practices influence carbon dynamics and wildfire risk.

After her book tour, she plans a sabbatical to spend more time in BC forests as warmer winters amplify wildfire concerns in the region.

Her work aims to foster dialogue and change, integrating personal narrative with science to drive forestry reform.

She has faced significant scientific backlash and personal attacks from peers, which she views as part of resistance to revolutionary ideas in science.