Nature is life. Trees are part of this life in a very active way.
Trees of the same species are communal and often form alliances with trees of other species. Forest trees have evolved to live in cooperative and interdependent relationships, maintained by communication and a collective intelligence similar to an insect colony. These soaring columns of living wood draw attention to their outstretched tops, but the real action takes place underground, just inches below our feet.
Peter Wohlleben, a German forester and author of forest studies, has a rare understanding of the inner life of trees and is able to describe it in evocative and accessible language. Much of his knowledge and observation was translated into his famous book, The Secret Life of Trees, which became a best seller in a short time.
Peter Wohlleben spent much of his life as a forest ranger in Germany, in Eifuel. During these years of long walks through silent but lively forests, Peter understood the subtle life of a tree and how it communicates with its environment. Thanks to the study and reflection of Peter Wohlleben, we can understand a little more about this ancient knowledge that we should never have forgotten.
Peter Wohlleben observed that in the forests there is a language between the trees. Trees use their roots to emit electrical signals that propagate between them. The study published in his book affirms that each tree of any species has its own character, a way of behaving individually and proper to each tree. Especially significant is what he calls the suffering of "street children", the trees that are placed in avenues and parks, with few roots and who suffer the heat of the cities and the attacks of insects without the support of their family to defend themselves. .
Recent studies also show the symbiosis they form with fungi called mycorrhizae, which form an underground network that connects the roots of different plants with trees, allowing them to share resources and communicate with each other. Trees can use this fungal network to send chemical and electrical signals to other nearby trees.
For example, when a tree is under attack by an insect or pathogen, it can send signals through the mycorrhizae to alert other trees of the threat. These trees, in turn, can increase their production of defensive chemicals to protect themselves and nearby trees. This form of communication between trees through mycorrhizae is known as “tree-to-tree signal communication” or “Wood Wide Web”. This communication has been shown to improve the survival and growth of trees in forests, and may also have important implications for forest management and the conservation of forest ecosystems.
This form of communication between trees through mycorrhizae is known as “tree-to-tree signal communication” or “Wood Wide Web”.
Trees are living beings part of the complex earth ecosystem life on earth. That means appreciating and respecting them, not because of the utility they can offer us, but simply because they are part of planet earth and therefore essential.
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