Listen to the Silent Trees
January, 2023
I found this little book while chaperoning my son’s field trip to DC. It’s no bigger than 4 x 6 inches, but it is full of little nuggets of wisdom. The first fact I opened to was about trees. It said something like: If there is a tree that you walk by often, then the carbon you exhale is absorbed by the tree and becomes part of the wood, fixed into the rings of its trunk. At the time I read that, we had just planted a young orchard, and I was learning how to help trees grow and thrive organically. Whoa, I thought – those trees are part of me! I spent lots of time with the little fruit trees watering them while playing music and serenading them, staking them when needed. I protected them from insects and pulled young fruit off so the trees would put their energy into growing strong, instead of growing fruit. I was so busy in the spring, summer, and fall that I never thought about the tree in the winter. I knew deciduous trees were dormant in the winter but did that mean they totally shut down after their leaves fell?
That next winter, my friend gave me the book, Finding the Mother Tree by Suzanne Simard. After reading it, I gained a whole new respect for trees. I won’t go into all of the book’s teachings, as there is so much wisdom to impart, but I will tell you that I had never been more excited that my exhaled carbon dioxide was embedded in the wood of my little fruit trees. I discovered that trees are learners and protectors; they even act altruistically. Trees are connected underground through a vast fungal network, called the mycorrhizal network. The mother trees are the oldest and biggest trees in the forest. They are the glue that holds the forest together. Mother trees share carbon and nitrogen with understory seedlings through the mycorrhizal network. They favor the young of their own species but give vital nutrients to other seedlings who need them. They warn other trees of danger from invasive insects and remember droughts from long ago.
As for my question about what happens to trees in the winter, I discovered that trees’ fungal network works through the winter months. The trees’ roots store the water and minerals and are shared as needed with others. The roots of the trees know where and where not to grow. Roots don’t grow towards anything like pipes or houses, but instead, grow where the minerals and water are located. Although mother trees seem to be resting, they are not. They need to seek and store nutrients for the greater good of the forest.
Mother trees have to network, protect the young, and simultaneously find and provide viable life sources. As I’m writing this, I’m feeling that undeniable connection with those mother trees. I’m sitting in my car using my phone as a mobile hotspot for my laptop, eating a bag of cashews, while waiting for my son’s limited school day to finish. I’m also texting my daughter’s teacher and emailing doctors about an insurance appeal. I am nourishing myself (well, sort of) and helping my kids get what they need to be healthy. I am multitasking. I am a mother. I’m not at all saying that many fathers out there aren’t the default parent. Many are, and this will no doubt resonate with them as well. But, since I read about the mother trees, I’m focusing on mothers.
I love networking and connecting with the other moms who come to visit Helping Friendly Farm. We often have shared experiences even though our circumstances differ. Trying gluten-free? Looking for a new treatment possibility? Didn’t have time to shower? Check, check, check. We are tired, but we don’t get to truly rest. Still, like the mother trees, our networks run deep even when we feel alone. I am here for each mom who walks through the sensory barn’s door. I see you and I hear you. I will gladly share my life source with you as I know you will with me. We recognize that some things are out of our control, but we help each other through the things we can. We relate and give advice when possible, and listen when it’s not.
Just as the mother trees can’t stop the houses and pipes from being placed, we moms can’t stop our kids from struggling. Instead, we grow in another direction, learn new strategies, and share our network of strength. While I don’t have rings of wood to serve as my memory, Helping Friendly Farm is thriving as a hub to create new memories, rooted in nature, for all who wish to visit.