Our growing Mother Tree community is supported through two distinct but deeply connected entities: the Mother Tree Project & Program (MTPP) at the University of British Columbia’s Faculty of Forestry & Environmental Stewardship and the independent, non-profit Mother Tree Network Society (MTNS).
MTPP is the academic and research home of Mother Tree work. Led by forest ecologist and bestselling author Dr. Suzanne Simard, it advances scientific research, graduate training, field-based learning, and public education focused on forests as connected, relational living systems. Through long-term ecological research, Indigenous partnerships, and interdisciplinary collaboration, MTPP is helping deepen understanding of forest resilience, biodiversity, climate adaptation, and regenerative approaches to forest stewardship.
MTNS was established as an independent charitable partner to help expand the reach and impact of this work beyond the university setting. Working alongside the research program, MTNS helps advance public education, storytelling, partnerships, events, fundraising, and knowledge sharing — helping translate science into broader public understanding, dialogue, and action.
While distinct in governance and structure, the two organizations are intentionally collaborative and complementary. In many ways, they represent a two-way flow between research and community — helping bridge science, education, policy, storytelling, and stewardship.
Increasingly, we have found ourselves referring to this broader ecosystem as the Mother Tree Collective. While not a formal entity, the term reflects the growing network of researchers, students, Indigenous leaders, practitioners, artists, donors, educators and communities connected through a shared commitment to healthier forests and more reciprocal relationships with the natural world.