The Hidden Life of TREES
I’m once again fascinated by a book I’ve borrowed from the library: The Hidden Life of TREES: What They Feel, How They Communicate by Peter Wohlleben (2015). I learned about it when I went to a Metro Vancouver Regional Parks (MVRP) event at Pacific Spirit Park (UBC) in June, called “The Secret Life of Trees”, led by a park interpreter, from 9:30 to noon. We learned about the things Dr. Suzanne Simard wrote about in her book, Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest (2021). And participants were shown Peter’s book in which he refers to Suzanne’s findings about trees sending chemical signals to each other through the fungal networks around their root tips. He also mentions the “wood wide web” (underground) that Suzanne has been researching for years.
Peter writes about the enormous underground network of communication among trees: if one tree has excess sugar in its roots, it becomes available for another that needs it. The species of the nutrient-deficient tree doesn’t matter. To quote Peter: “It’s a bit like the way social security systems operate to ensure individual members of society don’t fall too far behind.” (p.16) Without this support system, weak trees would die and upset the balance of the underground community.
Back in the last century, we only saw trees as they appeared above ground—only good for their lumber. This makes me think of all our tree planting programs, for thousands of hardy young Canadian adults—including some of my younger relatives—which have been very popular since the 1980s. If I’m not wrong, I think one tree planter could plant ± 300 seedlings in one day, once their bodies got used to the torturous, back-breaking work. These Canadian silviculture programs, required by law, were meant to minimize or reverse the destruction caused to large tracks of forest—called ‘cutblocks’—that were harvested by lumber companies. Here’s the link to a National Geographic article about tree planting. Some tree planters have gone on to become advocates for changes in forest management. Silviculture programs make me think of integration programs that often don’t work because the ‘newcomers’ don’t have the support to fit in with the community.
Peter worked in forestry in Germany for over 20 years, mostly among beech and oak trees. They taught him well. If a young tree is growing near the base of its mother tree, her crown and her neighbours’ crowns create a canopy that allows very little light to reach the ground. This light deprivation ensures slow growth, tough trunks and a long life. This is an example of Suzanne’s research of ‘maternal instincts’ in trees. (p.33)
BTW, I really encourage you to go to Lynn Headwaters or Capilano River and pick up the MVRP summer Nature Program Guide (July – September) or download the pdf. It’s been available for a few weeks, so some events might already be full. But if you’re willing to travel off the North Shore, you’ll have more choice. Pacific Spirit Park has quite a few.
Fiona