Science & Society: Do Forests Feel?
Forest ecologist Suzanne Simard and journalist Zoe Schlanger explore plant intelligence, tree communication, and consciousness in nature.
Why we picked this
Suzanne Simard literally rewrote the textbooks on how forests work. Pairing her with Zoe Schlanger, whose reporting on plant intelligence landed on every best-of list, makes this one of those rare evenings where the science is as strange as fiction.
Pioneer Works continues its Science & Society series with a question that sounds whimsical but carries serious scientific weight: do forests feel? Dr. Suzanne Simard, the forest ecologist whose research on underground mycorrhizal networks changed how we understand tree communication, joins journalist Zoe Schlanger for an evening exploring the frontier of plant intelligence.
Simard’s new book, When the Forest Breathes, builds on over 170 peer-reviewed articles documenting how trees share nutrients and information through vast fungal networks. Schlanger, whose bestselling The Light Eaters investigated plant intelligence research across twenty countries, brings the journalist’s eye to questions that sit at the boundary of ecology and philosophy.
Arrive early for dendrochronology demos with Columbia’s Lamont-Doherty Tree Ring Lab, plus stargazing with the Amateur Astronomers Association. Free RSVP, first-come first-served seating.