The Great Bear Rain Forest in British Columbia, although about one-tenth in size, is comparable to the Amazon rain forest, as one of the greatest contributors to the health of our planet. This forest preserves the biodiversity of our animals and plants, stores carbon, is a source of medicine, and counteracts pollution. Yet, in this forest, the lack of appropriate management and building of dams has resulted in increased pollution, floods, fires, and loss of habitat for animals. Only three percent of this old-growth forest has never been harvested.
Suzanne Simard was born in 1960, a member of a logging family. As a child, she witnessed her grandfather, father, and uncles down trees with hand-held saws, and use horses to drag logs to rivers where men would walk on the floating logs to push them down river and break up log jams with dynamite. Amputated fingers were a common hazard. In addition, building roads through the forest, using modern equipment, erecting dams, and clear-cutting large sections of the forest have caused much harm. The legacy of frequent forest fires, floods, loss of animal habitat, loss of biodiversity, and reduced carbon storage.
In her 2021 book, Finding The Mother Tree, Simard describes her long journey to become a forest researcher, overcome resistance to letting go of harmful convictions and practices, and introduce new forest management practices. Simard’s story is an amazing account of a woman who persisted in following her vision with great courage in the face of much opposition, family responsibilities, and a major health issue. She leaves a legacy of trained researchers and a revolution in forest management. I highly recommend reading her inspirational book, Finding The Mother Tree.
Below is a fascinating video Mother Trees and the Social Forest, in which the author describes her work and the application of research findings that provide hope for the restoration of our forests.
-Sister Pat McKeon, CSJ
