North Shore Libraries host community-wide reading and dialogue event
North Shore Libraries present ‘North Shore Reads’, a community-wide initiative that encourages North Shore residents to come together through reading and discussion. The inaugural event, ‘North Shore Reads: Finding the Mother Tree’, features local author, Dr. Suzanne Simard, in conversation with CBC Radio’s Shelagh Rogers. Tsitsáyxemaat Rebecca Duncan will provide a traditional Squamish welcome.
Taking place virtually on Wednesday, Oct. 20 at 7 p.m., the event will be a heartfelt and dynamic conversation about the intimate world of trees and the wisdom of the forest.
Finding the Mother Tree was selected as this year’s North Shore Reads title to inspire the community to further develop their connections to the environment through learning from a local expert. North Shore residents are keenly invested in learning about the natural flora and fauna of the North Shore, and beyond.
Simard was born and raised in the rainforests of British Columbia where she forged a lifelong relationship of love and respect with the trees. In her first book, Finding the Mother Tree, she shares her story of discovering the communication that exists between trees.
Simard is a professor at the University of British Columbia’s Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences. Linking her research to her personal experiences in this book, Simard recounts her life’s work uncovering the underground mycelium (fungal) network that connects all the trees and plants within a forest, which allows them to share not only nutrients, but also information, which originate from the hubs called ‘Mother Trees’.
Her current research investigates how these complex relationships contribute to forest resiliency, adaptability and recovery and has far-reaching implications for how to manage and heal forests from human impacts, including climate change.
The event is free to attend but pre-registration is required. For more information and to register, visit https://northshorereads.eventbrite.com/
Copies of the book are available in multiple formats at all North Shore libraries. Participants do not need to have read the book in advance in order to attend.
North Shore libraries are committed to offering resources and programs that promote greater awareness about the local natural environment and how to combat climate change. Related programs taking place virtually in October are “Traditional Plant Knowledge” at West Vancouver Memorial Library, and “Living with Wildlife on the North Shore” and “Learning about Mushrooms of the North Shore” at North Vancouver District Public Library. For more information, visit your local library’s website.
Media Contacts
Sarah Barton-Bridges
Head of Communications, West Vancouver Memorial Library
sbarton-bridges@westvanlibrary.ca
Meghan Crowe
Communications/Events Coordinator, North Vancouver District Public Library
CroweM@nvdpl.ca
Abigail Saxton
Communications Coordinator, North Vancouver City Library
asaxton@cnv.org