Can You Hear the Trees Talking?. Peter Wohlleben

Can You Hear the Trees Talking? - Peter Wohlleben


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tree home from

      the nursery to plant

      in

      your

      yard,

      you have to be very

      careful

      not

      to expose the roots to air for more

      than

      five

      to ten minutes.

      If the

      roots are bare and not covered

      in

      soil,

      the best thing is to wrap

      a

      plastic bag around

      them until the hole for the tree is dug and you're

      ready to plant it.

      A

      tree needs healthy roots if it is to

      grow tall and strong.

      Those cottony fungal threads I mentioned earlier

      don't just grow around the root tips—they grow right

      into the roots. This doesn't hurt the tree, though. In

      fact, it's nice for the tree because it knows the fungi

      are helping it. Not only do the fungi help the tree

      suck up water, they also guide the roots through the

      ground and show them the best places to grow.

      *

      As

      a

      tree gets older, its trunk gets wider. Its roots do,

      too,

      and they become as stiff and hard as branches.

      They need to be, because now they must support the

      weight of

      a

      heavy trunk and

      a

      large crown.

      As long

      as

      there's no

      wind,

      that's not too difficult.

      On a

      calm

      day,

      the tree stands tall on its roots the way

      You can see the fine coots on this toppled tree.

      They help the tree find water underground.

      you stand on your own two feet. It's easy as long as

      the trunk is growing nice and straight.

      Some trees, though, are quite crooked. And

      because they're so heavy, they can easily topple over.

      That's why the roots of

      a

      crooked tree quickly grow

      thicker near the trunk so they can support it. It's like

      when you spread your feet apart

      a

      bit to get better

      balance. That's what the tree does, too.

      Whenever a storm blows, the wind tears hard at

      any tree in its way. Imagine the force of fifty cars

      trying to push the tree over. It can only survive if it

      has strong roots, which hold the tree down like thick

      ropes holding down a big tent. Except roots can

      withstand much more pressure,

      If you find

      a

      tree that has fallen over in the forest,

      take a look at its roots. If the tree is a spruce or a

      Douglas fir, the roots will often be spread out in the

      shape of a large, flat plate. No wonder the tree fell

      over—to provide firm support, roots must grow deep

      down into the ground.

      Sometimes a tree stump will show you just how

      important the roots

      are.

      In

      fact,

      they're the most import-

      ant part of the tree, Why? Because often a shoot will

      grow out of

      an

      old stump, and this shoot

      can

      grow up

      to be

      an

      adult

      tree.

      It's really the

      same

      tree,

      except now

      it has

      a

      whole new trunk.

      Roots may be very strong, but they're also sensi-

      tive.

      They really don't like it when people walk on

      them or, even worse, when cars drive over them.

      They may get squashed and even injured. Diseases

      could get into their wounds and spread through

      their trunks. Then the tree will die before it has

      a chance to grow old.

      SOME TREE ROOTS ARE GIGANTIC. The roots of

      the Moreton Boy fig are so enormous you

      could

      easily play hide-and-seek

      in

      them. These

      enormous roots support enormous crowns: the

      branches

      can spread

      out

      a

      hundred feet (30 m]

      or

      more.

      Roots can extend

      far below the surface,

      as

      well.

      In

      its search for life-giving water, a wild

      fig in the Echo Caves in South Africa has grown

      roots

      a record

      four

      hundred

      feet (122 m) deep-

      deeper than a football field is

      long.

      Strong Roots

      A tree is a trunk with branches and


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