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

(The Mysteries of Nature Series #1)

Peter Wohlleben,

Tim Flannery (Foreword),

Jane Billinghurst (Goodreads Author) (Translator),

Suzanne Simard (Goodreads Author)

4.05 · Rating details · 40,499 ratings · 5,115 reviews

In The Hidden Life of Trees, Peter Wohlleben shares his deep love of woods and forests and explains the amazing processes of life, death, and regeneration he has observed in the woodland and the amazing scientific processes behind the wonders of which we are blissfully unaware. Much like human families, tree parents live together with their children, communicate with them, ...more

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Hardcover, 288 pages

Published September 13th 2016 by Greystone Books (first published May 25th 2015)

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Dec 16, 2016 Chrissie rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: flora, audible-uk, germany, canada, fauna, science, 2016-read

I do recommend reading this book, even though I have given it only two stars! Remember two stars is a book that is OK! Read it for the new and interesting information it contains.

The book reports up-to-date information about the complex, symbiotic networks underlying communication between trees. It stresses that trees should be seen not as separate entities but rather as parts of a community where individuals are aware of their neighbors, relate to them, communicate with them and help each othe I do recommend reading this book, even though I have given it only two stars! Remember two stars is a book that is OK! Read it for the new and interesting information it contains.

The book reports up-to-date information about the complex, symbiotic networks underlying communication between trees. It stresses that trees should be seen not as separate entities but rather as parts of a community where individuals are aware of their neighbors, relate to them, communicate with them and help each other survive. Absorbing information about particular tree species, plants, fungi, insects and birds is provided. Anyone who appreciates nature, anyone who quite simply enjoys a walk in the woods, will find tidbits of interest.

So what was wrong?

The writing all too often lacks clarity. Ecological and natural processes were not clearly explained. I would follow an argument and not understand why a particular conclusion was drawn. I would see other alternative explanations. One example is the discussion of the respective amounts of CO² stored by young respective old trees. We are told that plants of the same species living in the same soil and under the same conditions do not act in the same manner. An example is given of three oaks that dropped their leaves at different times. What we are told is that this was an “individual choice, a question of character.” Ah huh……..no more explanation than that?! Later in the book it is said that plants of the same species often have widely different genetic composition. (It is interesting to note that the variation is much more limited in animals.) Anyhow, this must be the explanation but this is just my guess. It should have been explained more clearly.

Conclusions drawn should more often have been backed up with reference to particular scientific studies.

The writing reeks of anthropomorphic expressions. This became extremely annoying. It made the entire content of the book feel childish. Yet this is not a book for children; previous knowledge of plant processes is a prerequisite. I will give some examples. Beech trees are referred to as Beech & Co., Spruce as Spruce & Co. Perhaps this is amusing once, but not ten times. “Ouch” is interspersed frequently - when discussing a lesion in bark, the loss of a tree limb, a hit by lightning or any damage done to a tree. The upper branches of trees are called “the executive offices”. “Foolish trees” are said to have not obeyed the “tree etiquette manual”. A volcanic eruption is “the shuffling of cards in the game of life.” We read sentences such as, “If we think back to tree kindergarten……” Maybe it is me, but this type of writing switches the book from being a scientific book of merit to a book of farce. This is a shame. Let me repeat, the book has valuable content.

The content is poorly organized. Similar information is repeated in different chapters. The chapters are exceedingly short with ambiguous titles. Here are examples of titles: Let There Be Light, Street Kids, Burnout andDestination North. On completing a chapter you are left wondering what exactly had been the point of the chapter! What was its message? While there is definitely interesting information it is hard to absorb due to it being poorly organized.

Beside the main themes, what miscellaneous information caught my attention? How woodpeckers make their homes in trees, working on several at the same time and in conjunction with fungi. The parasitic plant mistletoe can kill a tree, but moss and algae aren’t usually dangerous. It is normal that you don’t hear lots of birdsong in forests. The value of and conditions found in “old growth forests” were interesting, as well as how long it takes to establish such forests and how they differ from commercial forests. Leaving fallen trees is important - they make it harder for herbivore to consume undergrowth and they are home to a multitude of beneficial insects. This is just a smattering of assorted information. Each person reading the book will find different points of interest. I don’t regret reading the book, but its organization, and the author’s way of expressing himself could certainly have been improved.

The audiobook narration by Mike Grady was clear and easy to follow. The German words are accurately pronounced.

The author is a German forestry manager, writing on ecological themes. The book closes with a note by Susanne Simard. She is a forest ecologist. She has worked more than thirty years in the field and is currently doing scientific studies such as those discussed in the book. She is at the University of British Colombia in Canada. Her research confirms most of Wohlleben's observations about the communication among trees. ...more

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Feb 10, 2017 Cathrine ☯️ rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: hoopla, group-challenge

3.75★ If a tree falls in the forest there are other trees listening.
description

The first time I fell hard for a tree was in the Sequoia National Forest standing at the base of General Sherman. I was always a treehugger in my head but at that moment I was literally a treehugger. If you’ve never gazed up at one of the giants you are missing out on one of the earth’s wonders.
description

[I don’t know these people but it was wiser to post their picture than mine because it’s not legal to step over that barrier and get s 3.75★ If a tree falls in the forest there are other trees listening.
description

[I don’t know these people but it was wiser to post their picture than mine because it’s not legal to step over that barrier and get so up close and personal—though after reading this book I’m wondering how the General felt about it. We’re talking a Jack and the Beanstalk moment here.]

Back in the hippie days I knew people who talked to their plants, played classical music for them, and claimed there was a silent scream while trimming them back. Apparently these same compassionate people suffered no remorse when they smoked them, nor did I, but I digress so let’s move on.
So I couldn’t resist reading this after watching a fascinating PBS program called What Plants Talk About. Who knew there really is a “wood wide web” in which trees, shrubs, and grasses exchange information. My hippie friends apparently did—it wasn’t the THC after all!
I’m wondering if I should re-shelve Shel Silverstein’s book to the non-fiction section.
description

I know, I’ve told you nothing about the book because of these flashbacks but isn’t it wonderful when books mess with your head? If you love the natural world there really is some compelling information within and it was easy to digest a few chapters at a time. The sometimes anthropomorphic language may bother the non-treehuggers but it’s understandable that the author did his best to make it accessible for those who might be botany-challenged. The writing style is sometimes repetitive and simplistic and much of this is pure ecology. He champions old growth forests (dear to my heart) and throws in interesting tidbits like the scientific discovery of the improvement in women’s blood pressure, lung capacity, and arterial elasticity while walking in the forest versus excursions into town. His book claimed I would never see trees the same again and that is truth. But even before I read this I've always talked to mine when they blossom and later caress the globes of fruit ripening in the sun. I tell them how beautiful they are and darned if they don’t give me peaches, nectarines, and plums to die for every year. I also voted to legalize marijuana which no longer interests me because of W.I.N.E. Those grapes are a gift and harvesting doesn’t hurt the vines, i.e., no silent screams—win(e) win(e). ...more

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Jul 02, 2018 ☘Misericordia☘ ⚡ϟ⚡⛈⚡☁ ❇️❤❣ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, to-reread, memorabilia

Q: Trees are very social beings, and they help each other out. (c)

If even 10% of this is true, we live in a mode diverse world than we ever imagined.

Wood-wide-webs, allowing social interation between trees.
Trees in friendship, feeding, hugging and warning each other.
Trees having sense of taste and smell, talking to each other via sound waves of particular wavelengths.
Tree lottery.... Forest etiquette... Only a true lover of all things natural could have come up with such poetic topics to disc ...more

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Jun 17, 2017 Matthias rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, my-reviews

As humans, daft creatures that we are, we are predisposed to look at where the action is. Swift movements, loud noises and bright colours capture our attention. Maybe this stems from our primitive instinct for survival, allowing us to spot the dangers darting in our general direction. Or it could be the result of our desire to procreate that can't make us look past flaunted flesh and luscious lips. Whatever the reasons, at some point we have begun to think in terms of foreground and background. ...more

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Apr 15, 2019 Darwin8u rated it really liked it

Shelves: nonfiction, science, 2019, enviornmentalism, european

“An organism that is too greedy and takes too much without giving anything in return destroys what it needs for life.”
― Peter Wohlleben, The Hidden Life of Trees

description

Peter Wohlleben has written a beautiful book on trees. He captures the imagination and translates his vision well. Like many science books for the masses he takes a good deal of information and distills it well for the amateur forester and part-time tree-hugger. The only reason I give this book four stars and not five is because his biggest strength is also, perhaps, his biggest (or most important) weakness.

I worry about the anthropomorphizing of animals, fungus, or plant. It is a strength because it creates empathy. It works. I read that a tree might feel pain, communicates, nutures its young, takes care of the sick, works together, counts, etc., and I am (hopefully, if I have any empathy in me) feel a bit more hesitant to abuse or misuse trees.

BUT, my concern with this type of treatment is two fold: 1) trees aren't human. By focusing on the parts of trees (or forests) that appear to have human traits, we are putting ourselves at the center. We are creating (or strengthening the notion rather) that WE are the freaking center of the living universe. Those trees they are important because they LOOK/ACT like us. It is a slippery slope. Do the benefits outweigh the costs in the short or long term? I don't know. I just know there is a danger here. 2) perhaps, by giving these behaviors (communication, counting, etc) words that have a very significant meaning for man, we are actually NOT communicating what they are doing that is unique. Maybe communication or counting or nurturing ISN'T what they are doing and these human behavior metaphors are not allowing these amazing trees to be viewed as amazing AND alien enough. This isn't the same, but it for me is similar to comparing fungi to plants. Yes, there might be similarities, but these are two completely separate kingdoms. Sometimes, we can mix them together (in a salad perhaps), but some metaphors don't do justice to just how funky and beautiful and DIFFERENT these kingdoms really are. Perhaps, by making trees seem more human we are doing a long-term disservice by NOT making them seem alien enough.

And, perhap, I'm just wrong. I'm willing to accept that too.

Oh, and this is just Part I of Wohlleben's 'The Mysteries of Nature trilogy'. The follow-up books are:

2. The Inner Life of Animals: Love, Grief, and Compassion: Surprising Observations of a Hidden World - my review
3. The Secret Wisdom of Nature: Trees, Animals, and the Extraordinary Balance of All Living Things ― Stories from Science and Observation - my review ...more

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Mar 18, 2017 Francisco rated it it was amazing

You can read this for the science or, like me, for how it helped me see. We are always in need of books that part the curtains of the familiar, the stuff we walk around and take for granted. In this case trees, all around us, the beings who help us breathe. It turns out they compete and cooperate and communicate, they form alliances and have processes that we are hard call to name so we must resort to words like grief and love. If you are non-scientific like me, or even if you are, you will be t ...more

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May 22, 2017 David rated it it was amazing

Recommended to David by: ANGELA K

Shelves: nonfiction, biology, ecology

Peter Wohlleben has written a wonderful little book about trees. He is a forester; he manages a forest in Germany. He must do a wonderful job, as he has amazing insights into the life of trees and tree society.

Did I say society? Yes, trees communicate with each other, nurture their young, and aid the ill when disease or distress strikes. Does this sound unlikely? Well, it sounded a bit over-the-top to me, until I started reading this book. Forests are superorganisms that exchange nutrients throu Peter Wohlleben has written a wonderful little book about trees. He is a forester; he manages a forest in Germany. He must do a wonderful job, as he has amazing insights into the life of trees and tree society.

Did I say society? Yes, trees communicate with each other, nurture their young, and aid the ill when disease or distress strikes. Does this sound unlikely? Well, it sounded a bit over-the-top to me, until I started reading this book. Forests are superorganisms that exchange nutrients through inter-connected root systems. They are a bit analogous to ant colonies. Wohlleben cites evidence of a 400 year-old beech tree that was actually being kept alive by neighboring beech trees!

Acacia trees warn other nearby trees of giraffes who are feeding on them. As a result, the pre-warned trees pump toxic substances into their leaves within a period of a few minutes, causing the giraffes to leave the area. The giraffes walked 100 yards away, bypassing nearby trees before continuing to feed. They chewed on trees that were either oblivious to the warnings, or they walked upwind. These warnings are sent using electrical impulses that travel 1/3rd of an inch per second. These impulses are propagated along filaments of fungi.

When trees sense insects eating their leaves, the trees can classify their saliva. Then they release pheromones that summon specific insect predators. So, it seems that trees actually have a sense of taste.

I learned how older, mature trees nurture their young. Their enormous canopies shut out most of the light from the shorter trees, preventing the young ones from growing too fast. This enables the young trees to grow strong, dense wood that will eventually, in a hundred or two hundred years, to grow big and strong themselves. However, in forests that are overly managed, some of the bigger trees are culled, allowing the smaller trees to grow too fast. Then they never reach their potential height as they age.

I learned why conifer trees grow needles and are "evergreen", while deciduous trees shed their leaves each fall. It would almost seem like conifers are "smart", as they do not waste energy growing new leaves each spring. But there is a reason for all this. Evergreens grow needles that are shed only once every few years. Each fall the needles develop a waxy covering that impedes evaporation over the winter. The needles have very little surface area for catching the wind and snow. Deciduous leaves, however, do catch the wind, and are a handicap during storms and snowfalls. They are dropped in the fall to prevent the trees from bending and breaking in a big wind-storm or under a heavy layer of snow.

This book was originally written in German and translated into English; the translation is excellent. The book is not only informative, but is fun to read. Wohlleben makes analogies between trees and animals, and these analogies help shed insight into the slow, ancient life of trees. The book is not written in a humorous tone; it is written in a wonderful down-to-earth style. Although Wohlleben is not a scientist, he discusses the latest research and it is a joy to learn about his points of view. ...more

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Apr 13, 2016 Andrew rated it really liked it

Tolkien was right. Trees live in the sloooooow lane (imagine healing a skin wound over decades) but what lives they lead! They have incredible social networks, share food, rear children, and care for the ill. Yes, there's some anthropomorphization here, but still...

When evolution has figured out how to tell time and talk to one another, you wish the trees could also talk to us and tell their stories. Peter Wohlleben has come pretty close to speaking for them and I will never look at trees the sa ...more

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Oct 13, 2020 Sean Barrs rated it liked it

Shelves: 3-star-reads, nature-ecology-enviroment

“When you know that trees experience pain and have memories and that tree parents live together with their children, then you can no longer just chop them down and disrupt their lives with larger machines.”

This is an extremely emotive book and it does wonders at humanising trees and making them seem ever more real, fascinating and valuable.

It has a strong environmentalist message, one that seeks to install within the reader a renewed sense of value for the world around them and the ...more

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Jun 09, 2017 Tony rated it really liked it

Shelves: science-nature

My father’s father was a legendary grafter of trees. So I was told. He died a few years before I sprouted so I never knew him. But my father, who had a sense of wonder at the way things worked, learned the art; and so, I was able to see a peach tree that had one branch full of plums; and he grafted a white dogwood to a pink one. No reason. Just to show he could. This technique, like many mechanical things, was not passed on to the next generation.

----- ----- ----- ----- ----- -----

Dr. Suzanne Si ...more

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Oct 27, 2016 Cheri rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: nature, library-book, 2018

“We read in fairy tales of trees with human faces, trees that can talk, and sometimes walk. This enchanted forest is the kind of place, I feel sure, that Peter Wohlleben inhabits. His deep understanding of the lives of trees, reached through decades of careful observation and study, reveals a world so astonishing that if you read his book, I believe that forests will become magical places for you, too.”

”The electrical impulses that pass through the roots of trees, for example, move at the slo ...more

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Mar 31, 2019 Simon Clark rated it it was ok

I really, really wanted to like this book. Ever since I can remember I've felt at home in the woods, with trees exuding a reassuring aura of safety. Woods are calm, quiet, clement places for me. Yet despite this affiliation I know next to nothing about trees, so it was a delight to have this book recommended to me.
Unfortunately that's roughly when the delight stopped. Perhaps I am the wrong person to review this book, as I've been used to scientific literature in entirely different - and more co ...more

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Jun 14, 2019 da AL rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction

Fascinating info on how trees are a billion times more amazing than I imagined, swoon-worthy prose, fantastic audiobook performer!

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Jan 08, 2017 Matthew Quann rated it it was ok

Recommended to Matthew by: Anne Collini

Shelves: science, not-can-us-or-uk, audiobooks

If you've ever pondered the thought experiment in which a tree falls in an empty forest and the sound of its fall is in limbo, Peter Wohlleben's nonfiction might be for you. Quite simply, the sound would be heard, according to Wohlleben, because trees are able to interpret sound and communicate with one another. Not only that, Wohlleben attributes memory and thought to the stationary beings which most of us have long considered non-sentient. This is a book full of revelations about trees and ask If you've ever pondered the thought experiment in which a tree falls in an empty forest and the sound of its fall is in limbo, Peter Wohlleben's nonfiction might be for you. Quite simply, the sound would be heard, according to Wohlleben, because trees are able to interpret sound and communicate with one another. Not only that, Wohlleben attributes memory and thought to the stationary beings which most of us have long considered non-sentient. This is a book full of revelations about trees and asks the reader (or in my case, listener) to reevaluate their understanding of the woody sentinels. The Hidden Life of Trees is a scientific book that attempts to broaden long held perception and enrich our interactions with forest.

It is also a book that manages to talk about trees for much longer than you would have ever thought possible.

Despite my score, this is a good book. It seems well researched, Wohlleben is obviously interested and excited about his field, and it brought to me knowledge I didn't have prior to listening to it. But...trees just aren't my thing. This brought me back to first year biology classes where a month or more was spent elucidating the inner workings of plants. It was one of those fields, of which there were many more to follow, that was nice to know about, but never piqued my interest like the fields of human physiology, biochemistry, and microbiology.

So, even though I was pleased with some of the knowledge I took from this book, I can't say that I was really gripped by it. As I took another long commute, I found myself easily losing the thread of the narration when Wohlleben waxed lyrical about a particular species of tree. In short, I spent a lot of time bored with this book. When a novel fact was introduced to me, I thought, Hey, that's kind of neat, and then drifted back into relative boredom.

But, there's a pretty good chance that another reader would really be into this one! I mean, just because I don't love learning about trees doesn't mean that you won't find a lot to like here. Certainly, when I take a walk in the woods later today I'll be thinking about how trees have a lot more going on than I would have thought a week ago. With that said, Wohlleben posits morale considerations for trees that I wasn't entirely able to buy by the end of the book. So: if you are really interested in learning more about trees, I'd say go for it! If you're more like me, then I'd probably pass on this one.

Thanks to Anne Collini for this recommendation which I appreciate in spite of having not loved the book! ...more

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Aug 02, 2020 Lisa rated it really liked it

I'm a tree hugger! Literally. I hug, caress and speak often to my tree's.
Does any of it make a damn bit of difference? Doubtful. But, it makes me happy. I enjoy the thought of my tree roots connecting with other roots. And so it goes! I touch my tree's when I'm tired and lonesome. I feel they give me strength! Again. Do they? Doubtful, but damn...doesn't it make me feel better!😍💗🐾 ...more

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Dec 22, 2019 Michael Finocchiaro rated it it was amazing

Shelves: ecology, non-fiction, german-21st-c, trees

Peter Wohlleben loves trees and wants us to love them too. I read this book because I wanted, in my quest of reading Pulitzer's, to more fully appreciate The Overstory and I knew this was a good way to get immersed. The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate – Discoveries from a Secret World is a beautiful book about how trees communicate, what makes them unique in nature, and how man has impacted their development, their lifestyles and their evolution.

Now, the idea of trees Peter Wohlleben loves trees and wants us to love them too. I read this book because I wanted, in my quest of reading Pulitzer's, to more fully appreciate The Overstory and I knew this was a good way to get immersed. The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate – Discoveries from a Secret World is a beautiful book about how trees communicate, what makes them unique in nature, and how man has impacted their development, their lifestyles and their evolution.

Now, the idea of trees "talking" will perhaps have some skeptics rolling their eyes, but the author makes a good case for how this is done via electrical impulses, chemical emissions from leaves, transmission of messages via fungi, etc. His passion for the subject is palpable: "Personally, I think the swirling cocktail of tree talk is the reason we enjoy being out in the forest so much. At least when we are out in undisturbed forests. Walkers who visit one of the ancient deciduous preserves in the forest I manage (in Germany) always report that their heart feels lighter and they feel right at home." (p. 223). He demonstrates that, in fact, there are no forests in Europe which are older than the 1600s due to the massive deforestation during the Middle Ages and to the end of the Renaissance when the population exploded and forests were converted into farmland to support the increasing demand for food and building materials.

What makes his study so fascinating is in how trees are so closely interlocked with other seemingly unrelated pieces of ecology: "Katsuhido Matsunaga, a marine chemist at the Hokkaido University, discovered that leaves falling into streams and rivers leak acids into the ocean that stimulate the growth of plankton, the first and most important building blocks in the food chain. More fish because of the forest? The researched encouraged the planting of more trees in coastal areas, which did, in fact, lead to higher yields for fisheries and oyster growers." (p. 245)

Wohelleben's greatest argument is for preserving forests for many reasons. One of which is soil preservation. In areas where trees have been planted over previously cultivated land (even if the farming was centuries before), a square mile of forest can lose 290 tons of soil due to rainstorms as opposed to only 1 to 14 tons in an undisturbed forest. (p. 87) And less soil, means less nutrition and fewer trees. And in the lost soil, "There are more life forms in a handful of forest soil than there are people on the planet." (p. 86). These include micro-organisms, fungi, and bacteria - an immense diversity. And speaking of diversity, he also mentions a study from 2009, when a researcher Dr Martin Gossner sprayed a 600 year-0ld, 51m tall tree with an insecticide and found "2041 animals belonging to 257 different species" (p. 132).

I have an aunt in Kentucky who made me aware of the horrible emerald ash borer and how all the ashes on her ranch (and indeed all the ashes in the eastern US) are being destroyed - this crisis having started in 2002 following the unintended introduction of the insect on wooden pallets from a Chinese importer (see the beautifully illustrated article here. Wohlleben mentions a similar crisis, but due to a fungal virus, that destroyed Britain's ash trees. I wonder why nature suddenly decided it was time to try to eliminate the beautiful ash trees...

I truly loved reading this book and hope to share more time in the forest with my kids so that they can appreciate how important it is to preserve this critical piece of our ecological heritage. And, maybe I will convince my daughter of how sad it is for the conifer forest to have an amputated tree in our living room every Christmas when, in fact, this tree (now dying alone) would want to be back home with its familiars. I learned an enormous amount of things about tree habitats and characteristics and feel that I need to reread this book regularly to keep all the facts straight. And I need to finish the amazing The Overstory! ...more

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Sep 01, 2018 Jenny (Reading Envy) rated it really liked it

Shelves: read2018, science-september, nature, hoopla, ebooks, science

I was inspired to read this book after reading The Overstory by Richard Powers, to learn more about the science of trees.

Included are how trees communicate, migration patterns, how and why trees hibernate, their place in ecosystems and more. Wohlleben manages a forest in Germany and directly addresses some of the misinformation he learned in forestry classes.

The tone of the book and its translation is very popular in tone, which made me question the science, but he does seem to cite a lot of li ...more

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Apr 10, 2018 Mario the lone bookwolf rated it really liked it

Shelves: 0-biology, 0-flora-fungi

Maybe the tree huggers are right.

Please note that I put the original German text at the end of this review. Just if you might be interested.

The communication network of plants and especially trees is highly sophisticated. Solitary or only annual growing plants do not approach the complexity of the papermaking base stock. Due to their root system and their size, trees are predestined for a key position. They communicate with each other via fragrances and warn each other of pests. This causes the ...more

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May 28, 2018 Ayse_ rated it liked it

Shelves: reviews

I am confused about this one. It started quite interestingly but gradually lost its joyous nature. After the 4th chapter it turned into a heavy, didactic plant biology/botany book. I felt like a freshman without enthusiasm, and decided to use the book as a reference.

In the first three sections one can feel the writer`s enthusiasm for the trees. I liked the part `Final Road to Modernity` where he shares his view on the order in nature and the phylogenetic tree. He emphasizes how related we all a ...more

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Jul 26, 2017 Paul E. Morph rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: books-read-in-2017

This is an absolutely fascinating book. It shows a side to trees that will blow your mind (unless you're a smartypants and know it all already... but I'm pretty sure those people are in the minority).

The only criticism I have of the book is that the author does go off on the pure speculation bus every now and then, leaving the hard science at the station. It wasn't a problem for me as I'm used to reading scientific works and am pretty good at separating the facts from the flights of fancy. Folks ...more

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Sep 26, 2016 Richard Reese rated it it was amazing

As a young lad in Germany, Peter Wohlleben loved nature. He went to forestry school, and became a wood ranger. At this job, he was expected to produce as many high quality saw logs as possible, with maximum efficiency, by any means necessary. His tool kit included heavy machinery and pesticides. This was forest mining, an enterprise that ravaged the forest ecosystem and had no long-term future. He oversaw a plantation of trees lined up in straight rows, evenly spaced. It was a concentration camp ...more

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Mar 19, 2018 Manybooks rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: ecology, book-reviews, science, plants-and-trees

REVIEW OF THE ORIGINAL GERMAN TEXT

So I do readily admit that the factual information presented in Peter Wohlleben's Das geheime Leben der Bäume: Was sie fühlen, wie sie kommunizieren - die Entdeckung einer verborgenen Welt has indeed been of very much personal (as well as of course academic) interest. However and that being said, while I do in fact agree with MOST of the author's assertions, Peter Wohlleben’s writing style and the manner in which he has chosen to organise both his thoughts and REVIEW OF THE ORIGINAL GERMAN TEXT

So I do readily admit that the factual information presented in Peter Wohlleben's Das geheime Leben der Bäume: Was sie fühlen, wie sie kommunizieren - die Entdeckung einer verborgenen Welt has indeed been of very much personal (as well as of course academic) interest. However and that being said, while I do in fact agree with MOST of the author's assertions, Peter Wohlleben’s writing style and the manner in which he has chosen to organise both his thoughts and his chapters are in my humble opinion rather woefully unscientific, unclear, even potentially confusing at times (not to mention that the emotional and anthropomorphic way in which Wohlleben depicts and describes his trees absolutely rubs me the wrong proverbial way, making Das geheime Leben der Bäume: Was sie fühlen, wie sie kommunizieren - die Entdeckung einer verborgenen Welt read more like fantasy literature, like a fairytale, like I am reading about J. R. R. Tolkien's Treebeard and the Ents instead of a supposedly scientific, non fiction analysis of trees and how they communicate with one another, something that I have found both annoyingly frustrating and also really quite insulting to trees). Because let’s face it, trees are not humans and humans are not trees and in a book of for the most part scientific facts on trees, the latter should in no way be depicted and described with and by human attributes and qualities, as this diminishes trees in my opinion and makes Peter Wohlleben's discoveries, although I do happen to agree with what he claims and says, potentially questionable and above all imbued with an unscientific hippie tree hugger mentality (which in a non fiction tome of science really should be avoided).

And therefore, while I do still recommend Das geheime Leben der Bäume: Was sie fühlen, wie sie kommunizieren - die Entdeckung einer verborgenen Welt (either in the German original or in its many translations), I can and will only grant a two star ranking maximum, and leave the necessary caveat that lack of organisation, lack of scientific rigour and the annoying tendency of the author, of Peter Wohlleben to write about trees as though they are humans or at least graced with human thoughts, human feelings etc., this does for me leave quite a bit to be desired (and equally a strange, rather bitter aftertaste in my mouth). ...more

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Jan 04, 2017 Eleanor rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: nature, 2017-books

I was disappointed by this book, perhaps unfairly. My main problem was with the language, and specifically the frequent use of slang, which detracted from what was supposed to be a readable but serious look at how trees in forests interact. I assume that this is down to the translator rather than the author, but would need to have that confirmed by someone who has read the German original. Words like "critters", "buddies" (referring to trees growing near one another) and "little guys" were inten ...more

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Sep 02, 2017 Margie rated it really liked it

Shelves: nature, non-fiction

4.5 stars

Have you ever praised or hugged or talked to a tree? If you have, you are communicating with it more than you know. In his short poem, "Trees," for which he became well known, Joyce Kilmer expressed his wonder and love for these magnificent beings:

I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;

A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;

A tree that may in Summer wear
A nest of robins i ...more

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Oct 19, 2017 Laure rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

A must read! An absolute gem of a book. I might be biaised as I am what people would call a 'tree hugger'. I am sorry I did not come across this book earlier in my life. As someone who last studied ecosystems in the 80's as part of the 'normal' school curriculum, this was truly enlightening.
I would recommend buying this book for all budding teenage scientists/biologists out there (and older ones of course). It is a very easy read and packed with invaluable information about our forests.

...more

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Sep 28, 2016 Bam cooks the books ;-) rated it really liked it

Shelves: environment-nature, non-fiction, 2016-aty-reading-challenge, 2016-reading-challenge, book-vipers-book-hunter

You will never view trees the same way again after reading this book. Peter Wohlleben is a German conservationist and forester who manages a forest in the Eifel Mountains and has observed the slow-lane growth habits of his beloved trees, the secret underground social network that they share, the diseases and other dangers that threaten their survival--and most importantly, how crucial it is for the survival of all of us to allow forests to reach old-growth status again.

I read this book as a com ...more

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Oct 01, 2016 Suzy rated it did not like it

Shelves: dnf, 2016

Don't buy this book. At first I thought that the prose was the fault of the translation from German to English. About 30 pages in, I realized that the book is poorly written, poorly edited, poorly translated, and then poorly edited again.

Chapters are anywhere from 3 to 8 pages, with most falling into the 3-5 range. Grand chapter titles with little information.

Very confusing science writing style. I am science literate, and I was confused with both the science he was trying to explain, and what ...more

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Jan 13, 2021 Roy Lotz rated it really liked it

Shelves: nature-writing

Apparently I have developed a reputation as a Naturkind, as my family gave me a book about birds and another about trees this Christmas. And I am glad they did. During this pandemic, with most travel off the table, and indoor socializing discouraged, I have savored the outdoor world more than ever—even if it is just a few trees and birds in a city park. It has been reassuring to think that there are organisms all around us for whom politics and pandemics are trivial. Nature can help put things i Apparently I have developed a reputation as a Naturkind, as my family gave me a book about birds and another about trees this Christmas. And I am glad they did. During this pandemic, with most travel off the table, and indoor socializing discouraged, I have savored the outdoor world more than ever—even if it is just a few trees and birds in a city park. It has been reassuring to think that there are organisms all around us for whom politics and pandemics are trivial. Nature can help put things in perspective.

Trees are not just an occasional relief for Peter Wohlleben, however; they are his life. He started his career managing a beech forest in Germany. Eventually, he began to question the conventional methods of forestry, as well as the conventional assumptions about trees. The result is this fascinating little book.

When most of us consider trees, we think of their bark, their leaves, their branches. Wohlleben, on the other hand, focuses his attention to what is outside of view: the roots. These extend far deeper than most of us suspect, spreading at least twice as far as the canopy above. And the roots are not the only living things below our feet. Soil is teeming with life, including the many fungi that have formed mutualistic relationships with trees, interlacing themselves with tree roots in order to extend their reach, in exchange for some of the tree’s nutrients. According to Wohlleben, these fungi can even form a network—the “wood wide web”—which allows trees to communicate with each other or even to share resources. Apparently, trees are far more social than we normally think.

Wohhleben can, perhaps, be criticized for his way of anthropomorphizing trees—speaking of them as if they sense, talk, think, and feel. This is almost certainly a stretch, to say the least. However, I do think that we commonly make the reverse mistake in thinking of trees as inanimate objects. So I appreciate Wohlleben’s language, if only because it encourages us to consider trees as fellow living beings rather than mere potential paper. During this time of social distancing, we need all the company we can get. ...more

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Nov 29, 2017 Caro the Helmet Lady rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, nature, 2017-reads

I will quote Vonnegut to resume this book: God damn it, you've got to be kind to trees. ...more

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Jan 14, 2021 Dannii Elle rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction-nuances

Actual rating 3.5/5 stars.

This non-fiction explains how trees communicate with each other as well as the other plant-life and animals that surround them. It depicts how they learn to survive snow storms, how they plan to last out droughts, how they cull their growth to suit their surroundings, how they grow to become the tallest member of the forest, and so much more.

I found this a very interesting insight to something I have much love of but little knowledge for. Nature fills me with peace and ...more

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Peter Wohlleben

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Peter Wohlleben is a German forester and author who writes on ecological themes in popular language.

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“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. If you "help" individual trees by getting rid of their supposed competition, the remaining trees are bereft. They send messages out to their neighbors in vain, because nothing remains but stumps. Every tree now muddles along on its own, giving rise to great differences in productivity. Some individuals photosynthesize like mad until sugar positively bubbles along their trunk. As a result, they are fit and grow better, but they aren't particularly long-lived. This is because a tree can be only as strong as the forest that surrounds it. And there are now a lot of losers in the forest. Weaker members, who would once have been supported by the stronger ones, suddenly fall behind. 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.

But isn't that how evolution works? you ask. The survival of the fittest? Their well-being depends on their community, and when the supposedly feeble trees disappear, the others lose as well. When that happens, the forest is no longer a single closed unit. Hot sun and swirling winds can now penetrate to the forest floor and disrupt the moist, cool climate. Even strong trees get sick a lot over the course of their lives. When this happens, they depend on their weaker neighbors for support. 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.” — 31 likes

“A tree’s most important means of staying connected to other trees is a “wood wide web” of soil fungi that connects vegetation in an intimate network that allows the sharing of an enormous amount of information and goods.” — 27 likes

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