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The Mother Tree Project & Program (MTPP) is a research and outreach initiative housed in UBC’s Faculty of Forestry, rooted in the idea that forests are deeply interconnected systems, not just collections of individual trees.

At the heart of the program is the Mother Tree Project (MTP), established in 2015 by internationally acclaimed author and UBC Forest Conservation Sciences ecologist Dr. Suzanne Simard. MTP stands at the forefront of regenerative forestry research, addressing the urgent need to steward and safeguard British Columbia’s forests amid intensifying climate threats.

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About Mother Trees

Trees are connected

Through their research, Dr. Simard and others have discovered that trees are connected below-ground via a vast fungal network.

Trees communicate and share resources

Trees use the mycorrhizal network that connects them together to send and receive chemical messages to one another.

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Mother Trees and the Forest

Trees are part of a large, interconnected community

Trees interact with their own and other species, including forming kin relationships with their genetic relatives.

Tree regeneration is more dependent on connections in drier climates

As forests become stressed, seedlings are more dependent on mycorrhizal networks for establishment and survival.

Forests where the natural connections between trees are maintained should help enhance regeneration, support biodiversity, and conserve carbon storage

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Frequently Asked Questions

Do Common Mycorrhizal Networks (CMN’s) exist?

Is there evidence resources transfer through CMN’s?

Do CMN’s increase seedling performance?

Do trees recognize kin?

Should forest practices change?

Where did the term ‘Wood-Wide Web’ come from?

About the Mother Tree Project

Watch this short film produced by filmmaker Bill Heath to learn more about the Mother Tree Project.

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Research

The Mother Tree Project explores how connections and communication between trees, particularly below-ground connections between Douglas-fir Mother Trees and seedlings, could influence forest recovery and resilience following various harvesting and regeneration treatments. The project was designed to explore these relationships across different climates, in order to understand how climate change could influence these processes and affect the outcomes of the treatments.

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Dr. Suzanne Simard in the forest looking up a tree

THE TEAM

Led by Dr. Suzanne Simard, forest ecology professor at the University of British Columbia, the Mother Tree Project brings together academia, government, forestry companies, research forests, community forests and First Nations to identify and design successful forest renewal practices.

Meet the Team

Collaborators

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Funders

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