The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate—Discoveries from a Secret World

In The Hidden Life of Trees, Wohlleben manages to give readers a window into the specificity of tree functions and behavior while also painting a picture of their role as actors and receivers in the complex and interconnected forest ecosystem. Wohlleben begins his analysis of these connections by examining trees’ symbiotic relationship with fungi. While it certainly benefits trees to be able to communicate with one another and send nutrients to partner trees, the author also acknowledges that the fungi have their own agency as well. He explains that they “are pursuing their own agendas and appear to be very much in favor of conciliation and equitable distribution of information and resources” (10).

Beyond this “wood wide web,” Wohlleben educates the reader about the other forest creatures and what they give to (and take from) the trees. Remarkably, the author reports that about a fifth of all species on Earth, both plant and animal, rely on dead wood for sustenance. Their role in the ecosystem is to break down dead wood by eating and excreting it. Without these decomposers, there would be no new humus to build up the soil and all forest plant life would become impossible. Wohlleben also provides examples of larger forest animals and their interactions with the trees.