by Peter Wohlleben

“At once romantic and scientific, [Wohlleben’s] view of the forest calls on us all to reevaluate our relationships with the plant world.”―Daniel Chamovitz, PhD, author of What a Plant Knows

Are trees social beings? In The Hidden Life of Trees forester and author Peter Wohlleben convincingly makes the case that, yes, the forest is a social network. He draws on groundbreaking scientific discoveries to describe how trees are like human families: tree parents live together with their children, communicate with them, support them as they grow, share nutrients with those who are sick or struggling, and even warn each other of impending dangers. Wohlleben also shares his deep love of woods and forests, explaining the amazing processes of life, death, and regeneration he has observed in his woodland.

After learning about the complex life of trees, a walk in the woods will never be the same again.

Includes a Note From a Forest Scientist, by Dr.Suzanne Simard (author of Finding the Mother Tree, a favorite read of Linda’s.

Dr. Simard did a TED talk which explains the nature and results of her research in layman’s terms. You can call it up here.

Nancy B. thought we all might find this article in the New York Times interesting. It’s about the help and harm of all the tree planting that’s going on currently.

Once again, filmmakers have found interesting some of the same reading we’re enjoying. The Hidden Life of Trees is both a book and a film. The film version is available to borrow at the Omaha Public Library and to rent from both Amazon Prime and YouTube for the advertised price of $4.99. (You might want to check with Sue, however, to see what price she’s paying.)

Amazon Prime membership does include (free) the 45 minute documentary called Intelligent Trees that is referenced in the review below. It features both Peter Wohlleben and Suzanne Simard.

(Amazon review by “REG,” written in response to various reviewers who apparently complained about the anthropomorphizing they perceived) This book is written for normal people, who are interested in trees and nature and not afraid of learning facts that upset their worldview, and who are willing to accept that there are things we cannot, yet or fully, explain. This relatively recent field, of the interconnectedness of trees and of the forest as a giant organism, is unbelievably interesting and will, no, must, have far reaching consequences for our thinking about the environment, and by extension for our thinking about ourselves. I am not a scientist, and I don’t care for a purely scientific approach to life. I am also not afraid of anthropomorphism – it is a valuable tool for us humans (anthropoi) to understand the world around us. Already 2,500 years ago Protagoras revolutionized philosophical thinking by positing that “man is the measure of all things”. For most of us, that will remain the norm for a long time to come.

Also, trees are not aliens; they are more like us than we think. There is a lot in the trees’ behavior that they share with us. The need to survive powerfully and procreate is common between man and tree.

Wohlleben writes beautifully and lyrically. That is not a sin and doesn’t take away from his being a consummate scientist. One can be a scientist and at the same time be in awe of mystery.

In a very recent interview with The Guardian, Wohlleben said “scientists over the last 200 years have taught us that nature works without soul.” This book successfully discredits that approach, which has been ready for the scrap heap for too long.

This is a terrific book that can be fascinating to scientists and non-scientists alike. It has enough footnotes to allow for wider study of the subject for the intellectually adventurous.

The collaboration of Wohlleben and Dr Suzanne Simard of the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada has led to a TV documentary on the subject, “Intelligent Trees”. The DVD is available on Amazon.