UBC prof Suzanne Simard named in Time's 'most influential' list

When Suzanne Simard heard she was going to be named one of the 100 "most influential people" in the world on Wednesday, she had a hard time believing it at first.

The Finding the Mother Tree author, who was included in Time magazine's annual list alongside a handful of fellow Canadians, said she wondered whether her inclusion was real or not.

A University of B.C. forestry professor, Simard's research on how trees communicate with one another in forests has gained her global acclaim, and even a mention in the the Apple TV+ show Ted Lasso.

While her moment of fame on that series surprised her at the time, Simard said being on the Time list feels particularly important.

"Time's recognition is a big deal," she told Gloria Macarenko, host of CBC's On The Coast. "It's a huge surprise and I'm so chuffed by it. 

"I was so shy as a kid, I could hardly even speak even to my family. Then I became a public speaker and communicator, and I'm just so happy that I've learned how to communicate this very complex science so that people are interested in it."

Simard is joined on the magazine's annual list by Canadians such as actors Elliot Page and Michael J. Fox and artificial intelligence pioneer Yoshua Bengio.

According to Time magazine's write-up about Simard, the professor was chosen because of what it called the "revolutionary" findings of her extensive study of forest ecology.

"Her 200-plus peer-reviewed articles have deeply informed the thinking of conservationists and environmentalists working to help preserve forests in a world ever more threatened by climate change and wildfires," the New York-based publication wrote. "The trees, Simard teaches us, are talking. It is our job to start listening."

For Simard, however, the honour is simply an opportunity — much like her brief citation on Ted Lasso three years ago — to expose more people worldwide to the power of our planet's forests.

"I hope that I can amplify the message through this recognition so that we can better protect our forests," Simard told CBC News. "It's so important that people become interested [and] engaged in their forests, because what's happening in our forests affects all of us.

"You know, if forests are in trouble, we're in trouble ... really, so much good ecosystem integrity hinges on protecting these old trees."

Another Canadian named to this year's "most influential people" list is former CBC News journalist Connie Walker, whose Gimlet Media podcast Stolen: Surviving St. Michaels won two of journalism's top honours: a Pulitzer Prize and a Peabody Award.

Walker, from Okanese First Nation in Saskatchewan, posted to the social media platform X that she was "humbled" by her inclusion in Time magazine's list.