Can You Hear the Trees Talking?. Peter Wohlleben
close together and help each other
Some stumps can stay alive for hundreds of years
like
this.
They may
be
the grandparents
of the
younger
trees around them.
It's likely that old trees and stumps can remember
things that happened long ago. They've experienced
a lot that they can pass on to their younger family
members. They may have learned, for instance, how
to share the water in the soil during
a
dry summer so
that no trees will die of thirst.
Sometimes two related trees like each other so
much that they can no longer live separately. They
grow with their roots so tightly interwoven that they
become like a single tree. Their crowns face away
from each other
so
they don't get
in
each other's way.
With conifers, pairs that seem to be closely linked
might not actually
be.
Conifers grow thinner branches
in the direction of their neighbors, which makes it look
as though
they're being considerate of
each
other, even
though they may not be friends underground.
*
Tree families only work this way if we don't disturb
them.
When trees are cut down, the ones that are
left lose their relatives.
Imagine three trees standing in a row. They're all
connected underground and can talk to each other
through their roots. If the middle tree is cut down,
that connection is broken. And even though the two
remaining trees are not that far apart, they can no
longer send messages—or sugar—to each other
through their roots.
That's why it's always best to leave old trees alone.
WITH
DECIDUOUS
TREES
YOU
CAN RECOGNIZE
real part-
ners by their branches. Two trees standing side by
side will turn their thick crown branches away from
each other. This happens rarely, though, so you may
have to
search
for a while. If you find a pair of trees
like this, take a photo or sketch the two crowns. For
comparison, you can draw or photograph two trees
that are not friendly. And because true tree partners
are so
rare,
you can share pictures with your friends
to
see
who has spotted the most.
Old Tree Stump
HOW
CAN YOU RECOGNIZE AN OLO tree stump?
A fresh slump has hard wood in the middle, and
often it is still light-colored. With
an old
stump, the
wood is already dark and rotten, and it breaks up
easily
when you
touch
it.
If
an old
stump
is still
alive,
the bark around the outside edge will be tightly
attached.
If the bark on the outside is falling off, it
means the tree is dead.
These two trees are growing together,
connected by their roots.
If you come from a big family, you probably have lots of other relatives besides
your parents.
You
might have siblings, cousins, aunts and
uncles,
and grand-
parents, too. But how do the trees in the forest know who is related to whom?
WHEN
IT
COMES
TO
TREES,
THAT'S much harder to figure
out
than
it
is
for
humans.
After
all,
we
can ask
questions
and get
answers.
And sometimes family members look
so much alike that we know even without asking that
people are related.
Trees recognize each other differently. They
communicate with each other through their roots
below the ground. Trees can feel more through the
tips of their roots than we can with our
fingers.
They
can even make decisions with them! A root tip Is
almost like
a
small brain.
If
a
tree's roots meet those of
a
neighboring tree,
they can check whether they belong to the same
species, If so, then those trees