Science & Society: Do Forests Feel?

Join us for a consciousness-expanding conversation on the frontiers of forest ecology and plant intelligence with pathbreaking scientist Dr. Suzanne Simard and journalist Zoë Schlanger.

For decades, the idea that plants might communicate, learn, or even possess a form of consciousness was relegated to the scientific fringes. Today, a new generation of rigorous research seeks to bridge the gap between human experience and the life of plants. On the occasion of the publication of Simard’s new book, When the Forest Breathes: Renewal and Resilience in the Natural World, we gather to ask: What does it mean for a forest to "feel"?

Hosted by geographer, author, and Pioneer Works Director of Publishing Joshua Jelly-Schapiro, our guests will delve into the sophisticated social networks of "mother trees" and the "light eaters" that make up our planet’s lungs. They will explore how plant intelligence research returned from the wilderness, the intellectual debates that remain, and how a deeper understanding of forest consciousness and connectivity might help us survive in a changing climate.

Pre-signed copies of When the Forest Breathes are available as a pre-order with RSVP; books will also be for sale at the event, which will feature a book signing with Suzanne Simard. Please note that seating is limited and will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Come early to see a collection of tree cross sections and cores, and learn how to decode the historical data stored in tree rings with scientists from the Lamont-Doherty Tree Ring Lab at Columbia University. We will play Mort Garson’s seminal 1976 synth album Mother Earth’s Plantasia, which was specifically recorded for plants.

After the conversation, join us in the garden for stargazing with the Amateur Astronomers Association, weather permitting. For All Things Good will be serving up fresh Mexican food available for purchase throughout the evening.

Our signature series Science & Society grapples with our relationships to nature and each other. Each episode leads us deep into humanity’s timely and intersectional challenges, from biodiversity to plastics, public knowledge, the high seas, farming, climate, and love.

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Host or Publisher Pioneer Works