50 ForOregonState.org/Stater OuR COMMuNIty “It’s not trivial that there is this gendered bias in forestry. When I started out, there were very few girls who actually worked in forestry or in the forest industry,” she says. Still, science, and culture at large, might finally be making more space for this kind of narrative. Just as many other scientists have since embraced her research on the mycorrhizal network (her Nature article has been cited more than 500 times), Simard has observed institutions and policymakers increasingly considering the knowledge of Indigenous land stewards, whose ways of talking about forests bear similarities to her own. For the scientific establishment, Simard “had legitimized ancient knowledge that the dominant culture had lost and badly needs back,” Perry says. Before we end our call, I mention the Time 100 list. “That’s hilarious,” she says. “Why?” I ask. “I feel like the accidental Time 100 person,” she says. “I was like, ‘Really? Did they get the right person?’” But it was no accident; Simard is one of three scientists on the list whose work involves climate change. “Her 200-plus peer-reviewed articles have deeply informed the thinking of conservationists and environmentalists working to help preserve forests,” Time reports. Lately, she has been working on an ongoing, interdisciplinary climate study that she calls the “Mother Tree Project,” which examines how culling the oldest trees in a stand affects carbon stores, biodiversity and overall forest resiliency. In the face of extractive forestry practices, wildfires and global warming, Simard’s work may prove to be a key to staving off the worst effects of climate change. “I have had the incredible wonder of watching forests recover from so much,” she says. “We throw so much at them. They burn down. They get eaten by insects. They get clear cut. They get moved around and pushed around. And yet every spring the leaves come out and the blossoms bloom and the forests come back.” continued If you need a little help feeling optimistic, look no further than the ranks of Beavers making the world better. This fall, on Sept. 19 at 6 p.m., the OSU Alumni Association celebrates the contributions and legacy of outstanding members of our community with the Black and Orange Awards. Here’s a sneak peek at 2024’s honorees. Learn more about them and the event at bit.ly/black-orange-awards. And the winners are ... The OSUAA honors Oregon State alumni and friends doing amazing things. BY > OREGON STATER STAFF 2024 BLACK & ORANGE AWARDS
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