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

Peter Wohlleben

Greystone Books, Sep 13, 2016 - Nature - 288 pages

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

With more than 2 million copies sold worldwide, this beautifully-written book journeys deep into the forest to uncover the fascinating—and surprisingly moving—hidden life of trees.

“At once romantic and scientific, [Wohlleben's] view of the forest calls on us all to reevaluate our relationships with the plant world.”―Daniel Chamovitz, PhD, author of What a Plant Knows

Are trees social beings? In The Hidden Life of Trees forester and author Peter Wohlleben convincingly makes the case that, yes, the forest is a social network. He draws on groundbreaking scientific discoveries to describe how trees are like human families: tree parents live together with their children, communicate with them, support them as they grow, share nutrients with those who are sick or struggling, and even warn each other of impending dangers. Wohlleben also shares his deep love of woods and forests, explaining the amazing processes of life, death, and regeneration he has observed in his woodland.

After learning about the complex life of trees, a walk in the woods will never be the same again.

Includes a Note From a Forest Scientist, by Dr.Suzanne Simard

Published in Partnership with the David Suzuki Institute

What people are saying

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

User Review  - Publishers Weekly

This fascinating book will intrigue readers who love a walk through the woods. Wohlleben, who worked for the German forestry commission for 20 years and now manages a beech forest in Germany, has ...

User Review -

This book made me think about forests and trees in a completely different way. I'm not sure that the science is as settled as he claims, but he has made me ask a dozen questions that I never thought to ask before. Forests are apparently much more complicated than I had ever understood. It's given me a new appreciation for trees as adaptive, living things. 

Contents

• Friendships: 1
• The Language of Trees: 6
• Social Security: 14
• Love: 19
• The Tree Lottery: 25
• Slowly Does It: 31
• Forest Etiquette: 37
• Tree School: 43
• United We Stand Divided We Fall: 49
• The Mysteries of Moving Water: 56
• Trees Aging Gracefully: 60
• Mighty Oak or Mighty Wimp?: 68
• Specialists: 73
• Tree or Not Tree?: 79
• In the Realm of Darkness: 85
• Carbon Dioxide Vacuums: 93
• Woody Climate Control: 99
• The Forest as Water Pump: 105
• Yours or Mine?: 113
• Community Housing Projects: 125
• Mother Ships of Biodiversity: 131
• Hibernation: 136
• A Sense of Time: 147
• A Question of Character: 151
• The Sick Tree: 155
• Let There Be Light: 162
• Street Kids: 169
• Burnout: 180
• Destination North: 186
• Tough Customers: 195
• Turbulent Times: 201
• Immigrants: 211
• Healthy Forest Air: 221
• Why Is the Forest Green?: 227
• Set Free: 233
• More Than Just a Commodity: 241
• Note from a Forest Scientist: 247
• Acknowledgments: 251
• Notes: 252
• Index: 261

About the author

Peter Wohlleben spent over twenty years working for the forestry commission in Germany before leaving to put his ideas of ecology into practice. He now runs an environmentally-friendly woodland in Germany, where he is working for the return of primeval forests. He is the author of numerous books about the natural world including The Hidden Life of Trees, The Inner Lives of Animals, and The Secret Wisdom of Nature, which together make up his bestselling The Mysteries of Nature Series. He has also written numerous books for children including Can You Hear the Trees Talking? and Peter and the Tree Children.

Tim Flannery is a scientist, explorer and conservationist. He is a leading writer on climate change and his books include Atmosphere of Hope and The Weather Makers.

Jane Billinghurst’s career has been in book publishing in the UK, the US, and Canada, as an editor, publisher, writer, and translator. She is the translator of the New York Times-bestseller The Hidden Life of Trees by German forester Peter Wohlleben.

Bibliographic information

• Title: The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate—Discoveries from A Secret World; Volume 1 of The Mysteries of Nature
• Author: Peter Wohlleben
• Translated by: Jane Billinghurst
• Contributors: Tim Flannery, Suzanne Simard
• Publisher: Greystone Books, 2016
• ISBN: 1771642491, 9781771642491
• Length: 288 pages
• Subjects: Nature / Essays; Nature / Plants / Trees; Science / Life Sciences / Botany