The Hidden Life of Tress by Peter Wohlleben
Peter Wohlleben is a
forester by profession, not a writer. But, his passion and knowledge of the
trees he has helped preserve has translated into an extremely fascinating book
on how trees communicate with and care for each other.
His many years of experience along with scientific evidence
support many of the extraordinary discoveries that he shares with us in this
book. We have all probably learnt to classify a tree as a ‘living thing’ , yet
we continue to think of them as ‘objects’. Reading this book will open your
eyes to a whole new world – full of living, breathing, nurturing and speaking
trees. (Yes! Speaking! Tolkien's Ents came to mind )
Trees seem to be
just like human beings – they communicate with other members of their species,
support their young, they have memory, hearing and language. In fact a major
discovery was made sometime in 1990 by American doctoral researcher, Suzanne
Simmard, who found intricate underground networks of symbiotic fungi (mycorrhizae) that bind to the roots of
plants which extend for miles and help trees exchange nutrients. Dubbing this
network ‘wood wide web’, the journal
Nature brought it to the attention of
the world. Since then this fungal web has been the centre of attention of
various scientists and researchers who are discovering surprising ways in which
trees function.
According to
Wohlleben, “The main reason we misunderstand tree, is because they are
incredibly slow.” That is true. The entire lifespan of a tree is at least five
times as long as ours. Most trees discussed by him in the book mature between
80-100 years! And they can live at least to be 500 years and many trees have
been around for a much longer time than that.
“Trees are among the
slowest-moving beings with which we share our world and changes in the natural
forest are observable only over the course of many human generations.”
Hence, learning the language of trees is
something you embark for a lifetime, and there is so much to learn! Each chapter
in the book will reveal some aspect of trees that have been closely studied and
observed over the years. Trees for instance are social beings, they share food
with their own species and even at times nourish their competitors. That is
because they realise that working together has its benefits. Even sick trees
are supported and nourished until they recover.
How do trees
communicate? Trees have an unusual communication system – scent. Apparently,
when herbivores feed on the leaves, which the trees may h find harmful, then
they secrete toxic substances into their leaves to rid themselves of the large
herbivores. They even communicate this to the nearby trees, so that they too
can be prepared. It is said to be a highly effective strategy which scientists
have observed in the African savannah.
Further, he goes on
to explain how trees store water for winter, procreate, adapt , migrate, pass
on their genes and age gracefully. His passion and love to preserve forests in
their natural habitat is something that resonates throughout the book. Though
he talks about characteristics of trees native to Central Europe and North
America, I started looking at trees in
my own backyard in a different way. I began to understand that every tiny
organism, be it visible or invisible, has a mighty role to play in the
environment around me.
As Peter Wohlleben
himself puts it, “only people who understand trees are capable of protecting
them”. His book will be an eyeopener for everyone who reads it and our walks amongst trees will never be the same again
Every individual can become better at learning about trees and it is merely a simple step away. I also came across this inspiring documentary 'Forest Man' - which unfolds the story of Jadav Payeng who has been planting trees in
order to save his island. To date he has single-handedly planted a
forest larger than Central Park NYC. His forest has transformed what was
once a barren wasteland, into a lush oasis.
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