“But the most astonishing thing about trees is how social they are. The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate: Discoveries from a Secret World If they are no longer there, then all it takes is what would once have been a harmless insect attack to seal the fate even of giants.”

When this happens, they depend on their weaker neighbors for support. Even strong trees get sick a lot over the course of their lives.

Hot sun and swirling winds can now penetrate to the forest floor and disrupt the moist, cool climate. When that happens, the forest is no longer a single closed unit. The survival of the fittest? Their well-being depends on their community, and when the supposedly feeble trees disappear, the others lose as well. Whether the reason for their decline is their location and lack of nutrients, a passing malaise, or genetic makeup, they now fall prey to insects and fungi.īut isn't that how evolution works? you ask. Weaker members, who would once have been supported by the stronger ones, suddenly fall behind. And there are now a lot of losers in the forest. This is because a tree can be only as strong as the forest that surrounds it. As a result, they are fit and grow better, but they aren't particularly long-lived. Some individuals photosynthesize like mad until sugar positively bubbles along their trunk. Every tree now muddles along on its own, giving rise to great differences in productivity. They send messages out to their neighbors in vain, because nothing remains but stumps. If you 'help' individual trees by getting rid of their supposed competition, the remaining trees are bereft. “When trees grow together, nutrients and water can be optimally divided among them all so that each tree can grow into the best tree it can be.

The life of trees book