In The Hidden Life of Trees, Peter Wohlleben shares his deep love of woods and forests and explains the amazing processes of life, death, and regeneration he has observed in the woodland and the amazing scientific processes behind the wonders of which we are blissfully unaware. Much like human families, tree parents live together with their children, communicate with them, and support them as … them as they grow, sharing nutrients with those who are sick or struggling and creating an ecosystem that mitigates the impact of extremes of heat and cold for the whole group. As a result of such interactions, trees in a family or community are protected and can live to be very old. In contrast, solitary trees, like street kids, have a tough time of it and in most cases die much earlier than those in a group.
Drawing on groundbreaking new discoveries, Wohlleben presents the science behind the secret and previously unknown life of trees and their communication abilities; he describes how these discoveries have informed his own practices in the forest around him. As he says, a happy forest is a healthy forest, and he believes that eco-friendly practices not only are economically sustainable but also benefit the health of our planet and the mental and physical health of all who live on Earth.
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I’ll never look at trees the same way again. They communicate underground, cooperate in their defenses, and cut deals with fungi and small animals in symbiosis. Plus, they live on carbon dioxide and breathe out oxygen for us animals. A delightful, entertaining book packed full of knowledge.
The breadth of knowledge in this book brought the world of forests into living colour for me. The incredible trials and impossible odds against a tree ever growing into adulthood is made abundantly clear as well as the idea that the world flora grows up in is every bit as dog eat dog as the animal kingdom. With parasites, fungi’s, mould, competition for resources and pure survival instinct, Wolheben has painted a dramatic setting where attacks occur over decades, and healing, if any, take time and effort in order to stay alive, where innate defences activate to dispel an assault, and thoughtful cunning works to ensure victory. Not only do the trees have to defend against other vegetation, and fungi’s, but against insects who find them just as tasty and alluring. Animals make their homes in them and vast networks of fungus keep trees in contact with one another. I won’t spoil all the revelations this book offers about forests in this review, just know, if you’ve ever been curious, this is the book to read.
I have always believed that there is an intricate network to life that we as humans fail to see. The symbiotic relationship between bees and flowers is very clearly seen by us. But what of the life that goes unseen by us. In “The Hidden Life of Trees” Peter Wohlleben opens up the mosaic beauty of the trees he manages in a forest in Germany.
He shows us the way in which trees talk to one another. How the strong help the weak or dying live longer. How they fight off disease and insects. How the forests is an active biosphere, creating it’s own weather/climate.
The last sentence of the books blurb says that after reading “The Hidden Life of Trees” a walk in the woods will never be the same. And that is an absolutely true statement.
If you ever walk in a forest you will begin to see the things he has plainly laid out. And if you live the urban jungle, stop by and say hello to what is probably a very lonely tree.
This book was a good solid read. I’d totally try another future book by this author!
You can check out my booktube video review at https://youtu.be/OyFQpXw0dX4
or read my review on my blog at https://lisasiefert.com/book-review-the-hidden-life-of-tree-by-peter-wohlleben-the-mysteries-of-nature-book-1/
A remarkable tour de force, demonstrating once again that the forest is far more than the sum of the trees, operating at a level of intelligence we associate with animals (and even us.)
I bought this book because I read a little bit about it in a fiction book I read. This book is a powerful warning about how important trees are to our existence and how much we’ve done to threaten them. I was amazed to learn how trees act like families and take care of each other and warn each other of danger. They even share nutrients with other trees who are sick. A fascinating book!
It opens up a different perspective towards nature and how we can learn from them, the trees…Happy reading!
Once you read this book, you will look trees much differently. Fascinatingread!
Based on present knowledge that trees can communicate with each other via the root systems contact with each other and gives evidence of how and why they do so.
I have always been a tree lover but after reading this book I have a deeper love and respect. The chapters are short making it easier to read on the fly. Excellent read. I highly recommend it!
This book will change the way you look at trees.
A wonderful book about how trees communicate and how we need to allow our forests to be real forests, not simply places to visit.
A wonderful look into old-growth forests and how much more there is to them than meets the casual eye.