09/03/2026
We practiced tree pose during the International Womens Day Yoga class yesterday at the Wagga Beach. Tree pose symbolised that while we can be strong individually, within a community we support each other. I mentioned that birch trees are known to "feed" cypress trees and at times, when birch trees have been removed for whatever reason, the cypress trees suffered and died. This is about the person, the woman, who discovered this relationship.
Suzanne Simard, a Canadian ecologist, grew curious when she noticed that forests often grew weaker and less healthy after foresters removed birch trees. The common belief was that birch trees competed with fir trees for resources like light, water, and nutrients. However, Simard questioned this assumption and decided to study the relationships among trees more closely.
Through her groundbreaking research, she discovered that birch and fir trees were not just competing but also cooperating underground. Using radioactive carbon tracing, she found that trees shared nutrients through a vast underground network of fungi known as mycorrhizal networks. These fungal threads connected the roots of different tree species, allowing them to exchange water, carbon, nitrogen, and other nutrients. In particular, birch trees were found to transfer valuable carbon to nearby fir trees, especially during times when the fir trees were shaded and not photosynthesising efficiently.
Simard’s findings revolutionised our understanding of forests. Rather than isolated individuals, trees function as part of a connected, cooperative community. Her work showed that removing one species could destabilise the entire forest ecosystem.