The networked beauty of forests - Suzanne Simard
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Deforestation causes more greenhouse gas emissions than all trains, planes and automobiles combined. What can we do to change this contributor to global warming? Suzanne Simard examines how the complex, symbiotic networks of our forests mimic our own neural and social networks -- and how those connections might make all the difference.
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What is a fungus? From toadstools to yeast, delve deeper into the diverse kingdom of fungi, and find out just how different (and similar) they are to animals and plants.Mycologist Paul Stamets studies mycelium and lists 6 ways that this astonishing fungus can help save the world. Cleaning polluted soil, creating new insecticides, treating smallpox and maybe even the flu … in 18 minutes, he doesn’t get all the way through his list, but he has plenty of time to blow your mind. An audience favorite at TED2008.Here
are links to other videos:
Mother Trees Connect the ForestSmarty PlantsHow Trees TalkPechu Kucha, Wired for HealingHere
are links to some recent popular science articles:New Yorker, Michael
Pollan, “The Intelligent Plant”Environment 360,
Richard Coniff, “Microbiomes at roots: a new look at forest ecology”New Scientist, Ferris Jabr, Heard It on the Grapevine: The Secret Society of PlantsCanadian Geographic, Cori Howard, “How Avatar got it right: “Mother trees” use fungal systems to feed the forest”Nature, John Whitfield, Fungal roles in soil ecology: Underground networkingSilviculture Magazine, Suzanne Simard, Practicing Mindful Silviculture in our Changing ClimateFriends of Clayquot Sound, Suzanne Simard and Kathy Martin, “The Powerful Networks of Forests”Here
are links to Suzanne's websites. There are two
videos in the TerreWEB website as well:
Suzanne Simard at UBCClimate Change and
Communication graduate program at UBC (called TerreWEB)
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- Speaker Suzanne Simmard
