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pictusfish's review against another edition
3.0
It had lots of interesting facts, but the writing style was so infantile I couldn't finish it.
midici's review against another edition
3.0
*3.5 stars, translated from German to English*
While The Hidden Life of Trees isn't the most compelling nonfiction book I've read, it did contain a lot of interesting information, written in an accessible way. The most interesting parts of this book, in my opinion, concerned the communication and community that turns "trees" into "forests". I was aware that there was a lot that was going on in the soil that determined the health of a forest, but I had no idea exactly how frequent - and necessary - communication between trees were.
To begin with, the author Peter Wohlleben used to be a forester before he began managing this forest as a conservation area. His initial stories of discovering new ways to see and experience his forest through the eyes of his visitors was very charming. I liked how he introduced this concept of slowly discovering how his forest worked and lived as a unit, not as separate objects that just happened to be in close proximity to each other.
The first few chapters (Friendships, Language of Trees, Social security, Love) were the ones I found the most interesting. Trees talk to each other! And not just in a vague way, but in an intentional, mutually beneficial way that also includes sharing food and resources, even with trees of other species. That is FASCINATING. Even more interesting, in a sort of creepy way, is that cultivated agricultural plants DON'T know how to talk to each other. Where a plant in a forest will warn its neighbours about droughts and pests, a lone tree on a street corner (for example) that is being eaten does not send out any warning at all about its circumstances. Is is because the method of planting permanently damages the parts of the roots that are necessary for communication? Is it because they did not grow up in a proper 'community' and therefore never 'learned' how to send and receive these signals? No one is quite sure. The idea of our crops and greenhouse plants being sort of mute, zombified plants is a bit strange.
The other aspects I really enjoyed was learning how a mother tree would support the baby trees in ways meant to promote healthy growth and longevity, even if it might seem otherwise form the outside looking in. Also, the older, more connected trees that are so 'beloved' by its communities can live for years after it should have died, supported by its connections that continually feed it when it can't feed itself. It puts me in mind of a matriarchal great-grandmother, presiding over and being supported by a large family of children and grandchildren.
Other fun facts I learned: without forests, the interior of most continents would just be deserts, because trees pump water from the coast to the inland through respiration; plants can learn and remember knowledge but no one knows how it works; over 6000 species in a forest rely on dead trees to survive; and people may be able to subconsciously tell the difference between healthy forests and unstable ones just by walking through them.
The focus of this book was mostly specific tree species, and more European based (fair enough, the author manages a forest in Germany). I would love to have heard more about North American forests because I'm biased and live in Canada.
Right now, in BC, there is a long-running protest by First Nations and environmentalists to prevent the last of the old growth forests from being logged. A lot of people ave been arrested, and the fight is ongoing. Reading about how important it is to leave these landscapes undisturbed for as long as possible - about how even 500 years can be nothing to some trees - makes it even more imperative that we fight for these few places that are still left. Wohlleben's book is about learning more about trees and forests, but I think it's hard to disconnect that from acting on what you learn as well. It's something that's often in the back of my mind when I read environmental books, and this one is no different in that respect.
While The Hidden Life of Trees isn't the most compelling nonfiction book I've read, it did contain a lot of interesting information, written in an accessible way. The most interesting parts of this book, in my opinion, concerned the communication and community that turns "trees" into "forests". I was aware that there was a lot that was going on in the soil that determined the health of a forest, but I had no idea exactly how frequent - and necessary - communication between trees were.
To begin with, the author Peter Wohlleben used to be a forester before he began managing this forest as a conservation area. His initial stories of discovering new ways to see and experience his forest through the eyes of his visitors was very charming. I liked how he introduced this concept of slowly discovering how his forest worked and lived as a unit, not as separate objects that just happened to be in close proximity to each other.
The first few chapters (Friendships, Language of Trees, Social security, Love) were the ones I found the most interesting. Trees talk to each other! And not just in a vague way, but in an intentional, mutually beneficial way that also includes sharing food and resources, even with trees of other species. That is FASCINATING. Even more interesting, in a sort of creepy way, is that cultivated agricultural plants DON'T know how to talk to each other. Where a plant in a forest will warn its neighbours about droughts and pests, a lone tree on a street corner (for example) that is being eaten does not send out any warning at all about its circumstances. Is is because the method of planting permanently damages the parts of the roots that are necessary for communication? Is it because they did not grow up in a proper 'community' and therefore never 'learned' how to send and receive these signals? No one is quite sure. The idea of our crops and greenhouse plants being sort of mute, zombified plants is a bit strange.
The other aspects I really enjoyed was learning how a mother tree would support the baby trees in ways meant to promote healthy growth and longevity, even if it might seem otherwise form the outside looking in. Also, the older, more connected trees that are so 'beloved' by its communities can live for years after it should have died, supported by its connections that continually feed it when it can't feed itself. It puts me in mind of a matriarchal great-grandmother, presiding over and being supported by a large family of children and grandchildren.
Other fun facts I learned: without forests, the interior of most continents would just be deserts, because trees pump water from the coast to the inland through respiration; plants can learn and remember knowledge but no one knows how it works; over 6000 species in a forest rely on dead trees to survive; and people may be able to subconsciously tell the difference between healthy forests and unstable ones just by walking through them.
The focus of this book was mostly specific tree species, and more European based (fair enough, the author manages a forest in Germany). I would love to have heard more about North American forests because I'm biased and live in Canada.
Right now, in BC, there is a long-running protest by First Nations and environmentalists to prevent the last of the old growth forests from being logged. A lot of people ave been arrested, and the fight is ongoing. Reading about how important it is to leave these landscapes undisturbed for as long as possible - about how even 500 years can be nothing to some trees - makes it even more imperative that we fight for these few places that are still left. Wohlleben's book is about learning more about trees and forests, but I think it's hard to disconnect that from acting on what you learn as well. It's something that's often in the back of my mind when I read environmental books, and this one is no different in that respect.
mirabrinkman's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
grosswitch's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
informative
inspiring
relaxing
fast-paced
3.5