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

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The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate—Discoveries from a Secret World Page 22

by Peter Wohlleben

genetics: and climate changes, 198; crossbreeding between species, 214; modification of, 195

  Germany, 65, 90, 235, 241

  giant hogweed, 218

  giant redwood, 169, 208

  giraffes, 7

  girdling, 17

  Gossner, Martin, 131

  grand fir, 211

  grass, 123, 181

  Great Bear Rainforest, 234

  green color, 228

  grizzly bear, 136

  groundwater, 108

  growth: adaptations to environment for, 74; and age, 97; of beech trees, 31; challenges for seedlings, 73; in commercial forests, 124; and competition with other species, 49, 53, 113; conventional wisdom on, 96; in fall, 142; and growth spurt stage, 34, 67; and herbivores, 35, 120; ideal conditions for, 74; impediments to, 35; learning from water deprivation, 44; learning to support itself, 45, 46; light depriva-tion for, 32; in middle story, 36; mother trees, 33, 64, 249; of pioneer species, 181; rest needed for, 43, 142, 226; sickness during, 156; slowness of, 33, 196; in spring, 143; of trunks, 163; and water, 43, 48, 193. See also reproduction; shape

  Guatemala, 92

  habitation, in trees: introduction to, 125; attempts to repair damage from, 128; for bats, 128; in dead wood, 130, 132, 134; for insects, 129; for nuthatch, 127; for owls, 128; research on, 131; and sound vibrations through wood, 127; wetland habitats in crowns, 132; for woodpeckers, 125

  habitats, 219

  harvesting, see logging

  hazard beam, 203

  headaches, 9

  Healing Harvest Forest Foundation, 244

  heartwood, 160

  hemiparasites, 165

  herbivores: and deciduous trees reproduction, 19, 27; and hunting, 191; and open spaces, 181; and plant death, 50. See also deer; pests

  hermit beetles, 129

  hibernation, 43, 142, 152, 225

  Himalayan balsam, 218

  hoarfrost, 204

  hogweed, giant, 218

  honey fungus, 50, 121

  honeysuckle, 35, 165

  hornbeam, 77, 187

  housing, see habitation, in trees

  hoverfly, bumblebee, 132

  humans, 48, 97, 190, 207, 218, 222. See also conservation

  humic acid, 110

  Hümmel forest, xiv, 91, 217

  hunting, 191

  ice, 141, 210

  ice ages, 188

  Indigenous peoples, 234

  injuries: from bark being eaten, 123; bark diseases, 64; defense against, 160; from falling trees, 159; and fungi, 66, 126, 157, 159; from lower branches, 154; reopening of old, 161; from salt, 177; to trunk, 159; from urine, 176; from use as rubbing posts, 122; from woodpeckers, 125. See also pests; sickness; weather-related damage

  insects, 12, 61, 242. See also ants; beetles; pests

  introduced species: arrival of, 211; establishment of, 217; and genetic crossbreeding, 214; inevitability of, 217; initial benefits for, 212; and native habitats, 219; uncertain outcomes for, 212, 215

  ivy, 164

  jackpine, 208

  Japanese knotweed, 218

  Japanese larch, 211, 214

  jays, 69, 113, 150, 187, 190, 192

  Kichwa people, Ecuador, 234

  knotweed, Japanese, 218

  Königsdorf forest, 243, 245

  Laccaria bicolor (bicolored deceiver), 54

  ladybugs, 116

  Lametta effect, 158

  language, 6. See also communication

  larch: Japanese, 211, 214; shedding of needles by, 144

  learning, by trees, 47. See also growth

  leaves: anthocyanin in, 229; green color of, 228; growth of in spring, 147; and plankton, 245; winter loss of, 138, 139, 140, 142, 144

  lichen, 168

  light, see sunlight

  lightning, 205, 207

  Lindo, Zoë, 64

  liverworts, 163

  logging, 5, 14, 80, 94, 97, 243

  Maffay, Peter, 132

  Maffei, Massimo, 3

  Makarieva, Anastassia, 106

  managed forests: appearance of, 239; and bark beetles, 236; clearings in, 232; and fire, 207; growth in, 124; harvest rate in, 46; purpose of for industry, xiii; qualification as forests, 235; and red wood ants, 220; root networks in, 5; safety in, 239; spacing in, 14, 248; and storms, 201

  maples: red in leaves of, 230; seeds of, 187; sugar, 58

  mast years, 20

  Matsunaga, Katsuhiko, 245

  Maya Biosphere Reserve, 92

  meadows, 209

  medicinal properties: in betulin, 182; from phytoncides, 156; from salicylic acid, 9

  memory, 149

  mice, 187, 195

  microclimates, 99, 101, 107, 194

  migration: of beech, 189, 191; and climate, 188, 194; and habitat, 212; of silver fir, 192. See also introduced species

  mimosas, 47

  mistletoes, 165

  mites, beetle, 88, 90

  mortality, see death

  mosquitoes, 156

  moss, 64, 166

  mother trees, 33, 64, 249

  mountain ash, 80

  mycelium, 50

  native species, 218

  nature preserves, 235

  needles, 75, 144

  new species, see introduced species

  nitrogen, 54, 65, 144

  North America: forest fires in, 208

  nun moths, 117

  nurse logs, 135

  nutcracker, 192

  nuthatch, 127

  oak milkcap, 50

  oak processionary, 177

  oaks: bark of, 62, 72; and beech trees, 69; and black-headed cardinal beetle, 55; blood pressure under, 223; cork, 207; defense mechanisms, 7–8, 9, 10, 70; distress signal of, 68, 70; fall leaves of, 144; and floods, 209; and fungi, 50, 52; healthy growth of, 68; and ivy, 165; lifespan of, 155; and lightning, 205; pests for, 54, 70, 115, 117; regeneration of forests, 91; reproduction by, 19, 25, 27, 113, 187; resiliency of, 70; rest needed by, 142, 226; triad of near Hümmel, 151; in urban areas, 178; and woodpeckers, 54. See also deciduous trees

  old-growth forests: designation as, 233; growing conditions in, 170; lack of in Central Europe, 64; misconceptions about appearance, 238; regeneration of, 89, 91, 235. See also conservation

  open areas, in forests, 232

  oribatid (beetle) mites, 88, 90

  osmosis, 57, 58

  owls, 128

  oxygen, 223, 225

  paper birch, 247

  parks, see urban trees

  pests: benefits for other animals, 116; caterpillars, 117, 177; climbing plants, 35, 164; conifer sawflies, 118; deer, 35, 120, 123; defense against, 7–9, 116, 118, 119; parasitical plants, 122; sap sucking insects, 115, 117, 119; spreading of, 215, 216; targeting of trees by, 11; and tree reproduction, 26; in urban areas, 177; variety of, 115; woodpeckers, 114. See also ants; beetles; fungi, types of; habitation, in trees; insects

  photosynthesis, 15, 16, 35, 183, 224

  phytoncides, 156, 223

  pine loopers, 117

  pines: bark of, 62; defense mechanisms, 8–9; and forest fires, 208; growth of, 41; and ivy, 164; jackpines, 208; and Laccaria bicolor (bicolored deceiver), 54; ponderosa, 208; shedding of needles, 145; sickness in, 158; in wet conditions, 78. See also conifers

  pinesap, 122

  pioneer tree species: competition with other species, 184; death of, 185; defense mechanisms, 181, 183, 185; and fungi, 185; growth rates of, 181; ideal sites for, 180, 188; propagation by, 180. See also quaking aspen; silver birch

  plane tree, 178

  plankton, 245

  planted forests, see managed forests

  plants: definition of, 49; distinction from animals, 83

  pollination, 21. See also reproduction

  pollutants, 51, 221

  ponderosa pine, 208

  pools, 110

  poplars: black, 215; crossbreeding among, 215; as pioneer species, 181, 185, 188; reproduction by, 30; seeds of, 186; in wet conditions, 209

  pro
cess conservation, 235. See also conservation

  procreation, see reproduction

  propagation, see reproduction

  pruning, 173

  pussy willow, 181

  quaking aspen, 181, 183. See also pioneer tree species

  rain, 101, 103, 107, 111, 202

  red belt conk, 133

  red crossbills, 21

  redwood: dawn, 144; giant, 169, 208

  red wood ants, 219

  reforestation, 222

  reproduction: by conifers, 19, 21; crossbreeding, 214; by deciduous trees, 19, 25; energy levels during, 25; and insects, 26; interbreeding, 22; and mortality, 27; odds for successful, 29; by pioneer species, 180; pollination, 21, 22; pre-planning for, 19; seeding strategies, 27, 186; from stumps, 80; timing of, 150. See also growth

  reserves, hidden, 156

  rest, 43, 142, 152, 225

  rights, for plants, 242, 244

  rivers, 209

  root systems: and age, 81; as brain, 82; communication through, 10; depth of, 174; and fungi, 50; interconnections between, 2–3, 158, 206, 248; poor environments for, 73; and pruning of crowns, 173; and water, 49; in wet conditions, 73, 78. See also friendship

  rubbing posts, trees as, 122

  safety, in forests, 239

  salamanders, 109, 110

  salicylic acid, 9

  salt, 177

  sapsuckers, 114

  savannah, African, 7

  sawflies, conifer, 118

  scent, as language, 6–7, 7–9, 12

  school, tree, 47. See also growth

  Scotland, 92

  seeds, 27, 186

  shadows, green, 229

  shape, tree: curved trunks, 38; environmental effects on, 39; forked trees, 38; hazard beams, 203; ideal, 37, 153, 203; stability as goal, 38. See also growth

  sickness, 64, 156. See also injuries; weather-related damage

  sight, 148, 231

  silver birch, 181, 182, 183, 185. See also pioneer tree species

  silver firs, 62, 65, 153, 192

  Simard, Suzanne, 9–10, 11, 33, 53, 247

  Sitka spruce, 64

  skin, 60. See also bark

  sleep, 43, 142, 152, 225

  Slett, Marilyn, 234

  small cow wheat, 122

  snail, freshwater, 107, 109

  snow, 141, 203

  social security, see friendship

  soil: beetle mites in, 88; and carbon storage, 94, 95; coal formation in, 95; creation of, 86; erosion of, 87; importance of, 85; lack of knowledge about, 85; organisms in, 87, 89, 225; regeneration of after disruptions, 91; weevils in, 88

  sound, 127

  spirit bear, 234

  spring (season), 143, 148

  springs, 108

  springtails, 54, 90

  spruce: and age, 81; aging, 65; and climatic changes, 197; defense mechanisms, 7–8, 119; growth strategies of, 75; habitat for, 75, 219; pests for, 115; pollination of, 22; shedding of needles, 145; sickness in, 158; Sitka, 64; and sunlight, 167; and water, 44, 45, 102, 193; in wet conditions, 78; and woodpeckers, 54. See also conifers

  squirrels, 127, 150, 187

  stability, 38, 45, 46, 107, 130

  stag beetle, 133

  storms, 139, 153, 176, 201, 232

  strangulation, 36, 165

  streams, 109, 209

  street kids, see urban trees

  sugar maples, 58

  sunlight: awareness of, 148; competition for, 162; deprivation of for growth, 32; and early blooming plants, 163; and green color of leaves, 228; importance of, 162; and ivy, 164; and mistletoe, 165; and moss, 167

  sweating, 101

  Switzerland, 244

  taste, sense of, 9

  temperature changes, 149, 153

  terpenes, 107, 119

  thinning, 14, 17

  timing: confused sense of, 149; for leaf growth in spring, 147; for reproduction, 150; and temperature changes, 149; and tree character, 152

  Tokin, Boris, 156

  tornadoes, 202

  transpiration, 57, 58, 106

  trees: as balanced system, 93; difficulties defining, 79, 81; as guarded warehouse, 114; lifespan of, 155; misunderstanding of, 230; rights for, 242, 244. See also conifers; conservation; death; deciduous trees; defense mechanisms; friendship; growth; pests; reproduction; root systems; shape; urban trees; specific species

  trunks, 159, 163. See also shape, tree

  United Kingdom, 233

  United States of America, 92, 233

  urban trees: along streets, 174; and Asian long-horned beetle, 216; other challenges facing, 176; in parks, 169; and pests, 177; and pipes, 175; planting of same species together, 178; poor stability of, 176; premature death of, 178; and pruning, 173

  urine, 176

  walking sticks, 36, 165

  walnut trees, 156

  water: and conifers, 107; floods, 209; groundwater, 108; ice, 141, 210; importance of, 107, 193; learning to ration, 43, 44; pools, 110; rain, 101, 103, 107, 111, 202; and root systems, 49; snow, 141, 203; sound vibrations from in trees, 48; springs, 108; streams, 109; sweating by trees, 101; transportation of, 56, 105; and tree microclimates, 100; in trees during winter, 137

  weather-related damage: fire, 206, 208; floods, 209; heavy rain, 202; hoarfrost, 204; lightning, 205, 207; tornadoes, 202; wet snow, 203; winter storms, 201. See also climate

  weevils, 88. See also beech leaf-mining weevil

  wild cherries, 137

  wild service tree, 137

  willows: defense mechanisms, 9; as pioneer species, 188; pollination of, 23; pussy, 181; scents for attracting insects, 12; seeds of, 186; in wet conditions, 111, 209

  wind, 21, 38, 76, 100, 139. See also storms

  winter preparation, 136, 144

  wolves, x–xi, 218

  wood anemones, 163

  woodboring beetles, 54, 70

  woodpeckers, 54, 114, 125

  wood wide web, 10, 249

  woolly beech scale, 115

  Yellowstone National Park, x–xi

  yew, 76

  THE DAVID SUZUKI INSTITUTE is a non-profit organization founded in 2010 to stimulate debate and action on environmental issues. The Institute and the David Suzuki Foundation both work to advance awareness of environmental issues important to all Canadians.

  We invite you to support the activities of the Institute. For more information please contact us at:

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  Copyright © 2015 by Ludwig Verlag, Munich, part of the Random House GmbH publishing group

  Originally published in Germany in 2015 as Das geheime Leben der Bäume

  English translation copyright © 2016 by Jane Billinghurst

  Foreword copyright © 2016 by Tim Flannery

  “Note from a Forest Scientist” copyright © 2016 by Dr. Suzanne Simard

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior written consent of the publisher or a license from The Canadian Copyright Licensing Agency (Access Copyright). For a copyright license, visit www.accesscopyright.ca or call toll free to 1-800-893-5777.

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  David Suzuki Institute

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  Cataloguing data available from Library and Archives Canada

  ISBN 978-1-77164-248-4 (cloth)

  ISBN 978-1-77164-249-1 (epub)

  Copyediting by Shirarose Wilensky

  Jacket design by Nayeli Jimenez

  Jacket and interior illustrations by Briana Garelli

  We gratefully acknowledge the financial sup
port of the Canada Council for the Arts, the British Columbia Arts Council, the Province of British Columbia through the Book Publishing Tax Credit, and the Government of Canada through the Canada Book Fund for our publishing activities.

  Table of Contents

  Table of Contents

  Foreword

  Introduction to the English Edition

  Introduction

  1: Friendships

  2: The Language of Trees

  3: Social Security

  4: Love

  5: The Tree Lottery

  6: Slowly Does It

  7: Forest Etiquette

  8: Tree School

  9: United We Stand, Divided We Fall

  10: The Mysteries of Moving Water

  11: Trees Aging Gracefully

  12: Mighty Oak or Mighty Wimp?

  13: Specialists

  14: Tree or Not Tree?

  15: In the Realm of Darkness

  16: Carbon Dioxide Vacuums

  17: Woody Climate Control

  18: The Forest as Water Pump

  19: Yours or Mine?

  20: Community Housing Projects

  21: Mother Ships of Biodiversity

  22: Hibernation

  23: A Sense of Time

  24: A Question of Character

  25: The Sick Tree

  26: Let There Be Light

  27: Street Kids

  28: Burnout

  29: Destination North!

  30: Tough Customers

  31: Turbulent Times

  32: Immigrants

  33: Healthy Forest Air

  34: Why Is the Forest Green?

  35: Set Free

  36: More Than Just a Commodity

  Note From a Forest Scientist

  Acknowledgments

  Notes

  Index

 

 

 


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