Step 1 – Watch and take notes
Watch this 20-minute TED talk on mycorrhizal networks in forests “How trees talk to one another” by Dr. Suzanne Simard. During the video, consider these questions and write notes about: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Un2yBgIAxYs&ab_channel=TED
What is the video about?
Why do you think cedar and maple are on one network, Douglas-fir, hemlock, and birch on another?
What do you think is the driver of the relationship being described by Dr. Simard? Is it a relationship that can be explained by flow of resources from locations of higher concentration to lower concentration, or is it a sharing/facilitation relationship? Is there intent, or deliberate sharing of resources? Might all these things be going on?
Even if we don’t know what drives the process, we know that it occurs. How could this forest ecology be applied in a forest management context?
Step 2 – Reflect and research
Once you’ve watched the video, use question 4 “How could this forest ecology be applied in a forest management context?” as a prompt for some online research, or reflection and research from what you already know.
Step 3 – Post to the board
Post your responses to the questions and the results of your research to the Knowledge Board, summarizing your thoughts and ideas in 300-400 words. Please provide a link/citation to information you’ve found and are writing about. If you’re basing your writing on your own reflections and experiences, you’ll need to find at least one source (online, literature, other) that supports your perspective and provide a link/citation to it. No need to provide comprehensive citations for this assignment, just a weblink or document author/date/title is sufficient.