Salmon come home to their natal streams each fall to spawn and die, and their corpses feed bears, wolves and other forest animals. These distribute carcasses deep into the forest, and animal urine and feces can carry nutrients kilometers from the sea. From these carcasses plants can gain access to nitrogen and other nutrients that encourage growth; hence salmon can ‘fertilize’ the forest. An often-overlooked component in this story is the soil; soils are incredibly active, living places full of bacteria and fungi that act as intermediaries between the salmon and the trees.
In this talk, Allen will share the story and results of his work on mushrooms in the salmon forests of BC, as well as an associated foray to Alaska and highlight the importance of these processes to Vancouver’s forests. This is a story of interconnection and complexity that we have just begun to explore.

Bio: Dr. Allen Larocque is a forest ecologist who studies forest soil microbiomes, mycorrhizal networks, and forest nutrient cycling. Allen has a deep interest in complex systems thinking and how it can be used to solve the world’s problems. Allen grew up in Toronto, where he fell in love with forests in the Don Valley and the hills of Muskoka. He did his undergraduate degree in Biology at UBC; a Master’s degree in Theoretical Ecology at McGill; and a PhD with the Simard lab at UBC Forestry. He recently finished a postdoctoral research fellowship at UBC and the Mother Tree Network. He is currently working for the Canadian Forest Service as one of the first ‘Specialists in Forest Degradation’.

This presentation will be a Hybrid of In Person and Zoom video conferencing. Please join us after 7 pm to enjoy some social time at the Unitarian Hewett Hall, 949 w 49th Avenue (49th and Oak), Vancouver.  
On the Monday preceding the event, Nature Vancouver members will receive the Zoom link in the weekly e-News.  The talk will begin at 7:30 pm.  Non-members are welcome and should Email enews@NatureVancouver.ca a few days ahead to register for the link.