Check out this big mama literally! This giant ancient Western Redcedar tree (Thuja plicata) here is whats commonly refereed to these days as a mother tree, referring to the way they fosters and supports those in this diverse forest stand that grow underneath it through a mycorrhizal fungi network that exists in the soil and connects all these individuals of different species at their root tips.

This tree that is well over 1000 years old is connected by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi that link it to its neighboring Bigleaf Maples and Sword Fern in the understory, as well as to what are likely it’s offspring, these other cedars that are all line the drip line that are all about 500 years old.

In this system, the bigger more mature trees photosythesize more and create more sugars, which flow down its stem to the fungi in the soil who distribute the rest of those resources to the smaller trees and plants in the understory so that they can grow strong. Studies have shown how this energy flow happens through different species at different times of the year, but we’ve also witnessed mother trees sending more resources specifically to their offspring to help ensure their survival, which is pretty incredible!

Whether or not this tree is making a conscious choice of directing its nutrients to its offspring to ensure their survival is still up for debate, and is still widely being studied, though…is it really ever possible for us humans to fully understand what a different species may be thinking or feeling? We are, afterall, limited by our own perception and understanding of this world as humans, but I still think it is an inspiring example of life working together despite their differences to create a healthy functioning ecosystems in which they all can thrive that ensures a bright future for those who follow…and that is something that us humans could probably learn a lot from!

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Produced & Directed by Ross Reid

~ I'd like to acknowledge that this video was filmed on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the Coast Salish peoples–Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, Stó:lō and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm Nations. ~

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