Through underground fungal networks, trees share nutrients, send warnings, and care for one another. Mother trees help young seedlings survive, and even different species cooperate. Forests aren’t just collections of trees – they are living communities.
When old growth is lost, we lose centuries of this connection, resilience, and communities. And despite promises to protect them, the equivalent of 100 soccer fields of irreplaceable old growth is logged every day in B.C.
Take action to protect old growth forests and the communities they support at the link in our bio.
7 months agosteinernemapeteriae
it is, in fact, fantasy - and not real (or pretty outdated) science. Karst et al. (2023) - "Positive citation bias and overinterpreted results lead to misinformation on common mycorrhizal networks in forests" is the most significant modern critique. the authors reviewed field studies and found that claims of widespread networks and "mother trees" preferentially feeding offspring are not supported by robust, peer-reviewed evidence. Henriksson et al. (2023) - "Re-examining the evidence for the mother tree hypothesis—resource sharing among trees via ectomycorrhizal networks" specifically reviewed the idea that sugars flow from old trees to seedlings in a way that actually benefits the recipient. most evidence for this support is actually just carbon of various sizes moving naturally through the soil or fungi, rather than an intentional gift from a parent tree.
7 months agobluesman9293
In the book Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake he discusses how these fungal networks work . Finding the Mother Tree by Suzanne Simard discusses the relationship between trees and fungi as well . Both very interesting books.
7 months agomarlimorrigan
Yes I’ve watched documentaries about this! So amazing and inspiring! The power of the universe. 🥰
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