In 2016, pioneering forest researcher Suzanne Simard presented her TED Talk, “How Trees Talk to Each Other,” introducing millions to the radical idea that forests function as networks, not individuals. For generations, conventional wisdom had been that survival required dominance.

Forests show us something older. Something quieter, yet more powerful: Cooperation.

The forest lives not because trees compete, but because they care for one another. Through the soil, a vast underground network of mycorrhizal fungi — living threads — stretches for miles. Connecting. Sharing. ‘Mother trees’ support seedlings and feed saplings. The forest cooperates.

Silvo is a worker-owned cooperative. Our name, inspired by the Latin silvi-, meaning “forest,” speaks to our philosophy of community as a source of strength. Work is grounded in cooperation. Care and respect for each other. Regeneration and respect for the living threads that connect us.

This is what drives us. If it drives you, too, let’s talk. We welcome inquiries from those working toward equity, justice, and joy.