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We Are The Forest

We Are The Forest

By: Jacqui Croat
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We are all the forest, whether you live in the city or the country, the plains or next to the sea. We are the forest because we can’t live without their life-giving oxygen, the rains that they draw toward them, the recycling of nutrients, the cleansing of waters as they pass through and the deep wisdom the trees carry for the entire world. On this podcast, we talk with wise people who have listened deeply to what the trees tell us about our inter-connectedness, our inter-dependence, the intelligence and magic of forests and ideas of how you can be more fully immersed in your forest.Jacqui Croat Science
Episodes
  • S1E6: How Can We Steward a 500,000 Acre Thinning Plan to Help Maintain the Forest’s Health?

    S1E6: How Can We Steward a 500,000 Acre Thinning Plan to Help Maintain the Forest’s Health?
    6 Oct 2026

    Listen in for some alternative ideas of how to help the forests stay healthy and still prevent wildfire.

    Thank you from Jacqui & The Trees

    SHOW NOTES

    • Jacqui Croat, @WeAreTheForest.com on Instagram, onelove008@gmail.com
    • Search online for "Public Comments for Truchas-Costilla". Once you get to that website, then scroll down to almost the end of the page. In the text, you'll see a link, highlighted in green. Click that and it will take you to the Public Comment page.
    • The Taos News, Taos, New Mexico
    • Andres Romero, Democrat from Santa Fe
    • Garrett VeneKlasen, Executive Director of New Mexico Wildlife Federation
    • Dr. Suzanne Simard, Forest Research Scientist
    • The Mother Tree Project, www.MotherTreeProject.org
    • Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest, Dr. Suzanne Simard
    • When the Forest Breathes: Renewal & Resilience in the Natural World, Dr. Suzanne Simard
    • Chris Pieper, "Restoring the Southwest's living watersheds requires more than thinning", My Turn opinion piece, The Taos New, August 20, 2026
    • Christina Miller, "In crisis, Northern New Mexico wildlife deserve a habitat plan", My Turn opinion piece, The Taos New, September 24, 2026
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    29 min
  • S1E5: How Can the Forests Subtle Communications Connect Us to Ourselves & All Beings? Tovia Safford

    S1E5: How Can the Forests Subtle Communications Connect Us to Ourselves & All Beings? Tovia Safford
    22 Sep 2026

    Tovia Safford is a trained Ayurvedic & Western herbalist with 36 years of experience. She's an ayurvedic postpartum doula instructor and a student of Amazonian traditions and restorative agriculture. She's also the Founder of La Madre's Table.
    La Madre's Table is a feast of nature's local offerings and wisdom, celebrating ourselves as the elements in sacred play. Their vision is to foster thriving and transformative learning experiences that connect individuals and communities with the land. They are creating a safe space for humans to remember how to live in balance, purpose and reverence with the land, each other, and the web of life.

    The philosophy at La Madre's Table is that nature's wisdom is far greater than our limiting, human understanding. Having a sensitive relationship of reciprocity with nature will bring about balance in our bodies and sustainable restoration to our eco-systems.


    In the summer of 2024, via community workshops and with the mentorship of Mother Tree Food & Forest, La Madre's Table began to implement the first stages of a syntropic food forest and eco-restoration model on their land in Lama, New Mexico.

    Syntropic Agro-Forestry is a marriage of ancient, Indigenous agro-forestry technology, from Brazil and other parts of the Americas, paired with very forward-thinking soil, ecology and plant physiology “western” science.

    La Madre's Table has also offered numerous wilderness, re-wilding experiences. These are journeys to deepen one's connection with plant knowledge, explore the awareness of yourself as elements through an Ayurvedic lens, and reclaim your connection with the source of all life.

    As participants spend time in the wilderness, being quiet and present, they can detox their minds from media and daily stresses. In coming home to their true nature, they find answers and resources to support and guide them to live a more full and optimally healthy life. Together they turn their attention to the kin-dom of our plant-cestors in sacred play.

    A note about the sound quality for this episode. My hope had been to record all of this season's episodes out in the forest. This interview, though, was done inside. In my inexperience, I didn't have Tovia miked properly. So my apologies, that the sound levels are not balanced between Tovia and my speaking because I was closer to the single microphone than she was.

    Please refer to the show note below s for references that are mentioned throughout the episode. We appreciate you tuning in.


    Blessings, Jacqui Croat & The Trees

    SHOW NOTES

    • Jacqui Croat, @WeAreTheForest.com on Instagram, onelove008@gmail.com


    • Tovia Safford, Director & Found of La Madre's Table, Ayurvedic Herbalist, www.lamadrestable.org
    • Coakee Wildcat, Executive Director of Mother Tree Food & Forest, www.MotherTree.Earth


    • April Dunbar, Wild, Foraging Herbalist and Co-founder of Native Plant Spa, Ancient Rituals Apothecary, Ali Chai Co and now maker of wool felt art at Wild Earth Inside, www.WildEarthInside.com


    • The Secret Teachings of Plants: The Intelligence of the Heart in the Direct Perception of Nature,Stephen Harrod Buhner [correction: When Tovia mentions "The Secret Life of Plants", she actually means this book]


    • Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate, Peter Wohlleben


    • The Secret Life of Trees, documentary series, directed by Nathan Bud, currently seen on Amazon Prime, but hat could change
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    1 hr
  • S1E4: How can we Improve Life in the Forests through Agro-Ecology & Eco-Restoration? Coakee Wildcat

    S1E4: How can we Improve Life in the Forests through Agro-Ecology & Eco-Restoration? Coakee Wildcat
    7 Sep 2026

    Interview with Coakee Wildcat Executive Director of Mother Tree Food & Forest


    In this episode, we talk with Coakee William Wildcat, Executive Director of Mother Tree Food & Forest about Indigenous Knowledge of place and thousands of years of observing and listening to the forests, and how that informs his work with Agro-Ecological Forestry and Indigenous Wisdom Ways. Wildcat shares with us about his work with municipalities wanting to bring these concepts into their parks. Coakee encourages us all to increase our ecological literacy so that we can better understand how to participate in decision-making for our forests, our cities and in our own gardens.

    We start, though, by hearing a story from Japan but adapted to the Rockies to help us connect with our Bear relatives. Then we explore what it means for Bears to be a keynote species and how we can help them thrive, especially during food-scarce years. All of which is an introduction to the wonderful work of Coakee Wildcat, my mentor and guide to a whole new way of creating relationship with All Beings. We hope you enjoy it and learn a few new things along the way. Blessings to you.


    With love, Jacqui Croat & the Trees


    SHOW NOTES

    * Jacqui Croat, onelove008@gmail.com


    * Coakee William Wildcat, Executive Director of Mother Tree Food & Forest, MotherTree.Earth


    * International Association for Bear Research & Management, BearBiology.org

    * Tovia Safford, La Madre's Table, lamadrestable.org, a feast of nature's local offerings and wisdom, celebrating ourselves as the elements in sacred play, Ayurvedic Herbalist, Post-Partem Doula Instructor, Wilderness Herbalism educator
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    1 hr and 26 min
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