A Review of Peter Wohlleben's Intimate Examination of Earth's Oldest Citizens and Their Societies
Trees as sentient beings, living in cooperative societies and caring for one another? Ridiculous? Not so much, writes forester and author Peter Wohlleben in The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate, his beautiful and fascinating ode to the planet’s eldest of statesmen.
Do you ever talk to yourself? I definitely talk to myself. Probably more frequently than I’d care to admit. What about plants? Do you ever talk to them? How about it, gardeners? The plants growing in your garden? Your houseplants? Do you talk to them? For me, the answer again is yes. (And this, too, happens alot.) In my case, where solitary, audible discourse is a fairly frequent and natural occurence, ostensibly one-sided discussions with plants may certainly appear to arise as a result of habit. After all, I talk to items like my computer, and spray bottles which contain household cleaning products (especially when I can’t get them open), and bags of dog food all the time. So my plant chatter must simply be par for the course. Like I said, a habit.
Those of you who subscribe to The Renaissance Garden Guy, or who are regular readers, may remember a couple of pieces I published here concerning my feelings about plants, and the life with which each one is imbued. In “Spring and Summer’s Path Through My Garden” and “A Rain Delay,” I’m pretty blatant in my personification – anthropomorphization, even – of plants. In writing about plants in this fashion, do I demonstrate my feeling that plants, by virtue of the life existing within each one, are not only more than inanimate, but actually sentient? You bet I do. I think that when I talk to my plants, they actually listen (or are at least aware of my voice). And I’ll bet that most, if not all, of the other empaths and nature lovers on the planet feel the same way. Can we prove that plants listen to us? Probably not. But this is unimportant. It’s the feeling that matters here.
Peter Wohlleben is an empath and a nature lover. In his book The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate, the German forester and New York Times bestselling author presents his observations (and more importantly, his thoughts and feelings about those observations) of the trees which inhabit, among other places, the natural beech forest he manages for the municipality of Hümmel, in Germany.
As a forestry school graduate with over thirty-five years of combined experience as a professional forester and forest manager, Wohlleben’s background makes him particularly well-suited to making careful observations of trees in forest settings. But it’s his empathy toward the trees of the forest – and toward the natural world at large – that makes him perfectly and uniquely qualified to offer his thoughts and feelings about those observations, and to author a book as lovingly written as The Hidden Life of Trees. (For more about Peter Wohlleben’s background and career, please click here.)
The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate was first published in Germany in 2015. The English translation was published in 2016 and quickly became a New York Times bestseller. The book has helped garner Wohlleben an international following, and has precipitated Wohlleben’s writing and publishing of several more internationally acclaimed books.
What Peter Wohlleben does in The Hidden Life of Trees is incredibly captivating and innovative. He relates remarkable scientific facts about, and empirical observations of the beech trees (and others) that reside in his forest in the most readable and simple of terms. His writing style is amiable and inviting. The forestry science, which obviously falls squarely and comfortably within his purview, sets the stage for examinations along more specialized and esoteric academic lines. Explanations of some of the complex biological, microbiological, and microbial processes which underly and inform the trees’ existence – both as individuals and collectively – form a scientific baton which Wohlleben deftly passes to his oft-cited contributor, Dr. Suzanne Simard, professor of Forest Ecology at the University of British Columbia, and to other unimpeachable scientific sources (which he duly and meticulously credits). Wohlleben sticks to the science that he knows, and he credits and utilizes Simard’s, et al.’s, scientific expertise beautifully in his writing.
And all of that science is undeniably fascinating. For example, Wohlleben discusses the extensive underground fungal network which the forest’s tree population uses to transmit any number of biological signals and cues among its members. He discusses how and why (the “how” is scientific fact, the “why” is empathic speculation) certain tree stumps, which are often over five-hundred years old, remain alive today in the company of healthy, intact tress. He explains the scientific mechanism behind trees’ seasonal dropping of their old leaves, and budding/forming of their new ones, and he explains why intermittent and unseasonable temperature fluctuations don’t initiate these phenomena. He explains the biological benefits to slow growth versus rapid growth among tree populations. He talks about the forest floor beneath the seemingly impenetrable leaf canopy above, and explains why this floor, which should, by all rights, remain cloaked in utter darkness, is instead bathed in a dim, green light. Eery and fascinating. He discusses the biological benefit to trees, as individuals and as a group, when they grow closely to one another, within what appears to be a smothering, life-extinguishing proximity. And of course, the nearly mythic longevity of trees, and its causes and implications, are discussed throughout the book. The amount of scientific knowledge on tap in The Hidden Life of Trees is simply amazing. Truly, this book would be worth reading for its treasure trove of scientific facts alone.
But as I wrote earlier, what makes this book so different from any other written about trees and forests – so special – is the profound empathy the author feels for his subject matter. Peter Wohlleben loves the trees of the forest. He has established what he considers to be a deep kinship with them. He in fact left his position as a forester (working for the government) after twenty years because of his unhappiness with a number of elements of his job’s protocol. Not the least of these involved the destruction and removal of old, mature trees. This was devastating to Wohlleben. After twenty years in these forests, he had become friends with the trees there. Maybe those of you reading this who are gardeners, or nature lovers, can relate to what Wohlleben feels. I know I can. His empathy for these organisms, augmented by his prodigious empirical and academic knowledge, entirely informs the narrative of The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate.
Generally, science ignores “feelings” and dismisses anything that isn’t empirically observed, tested, and verified as speculative, or worse, spurious. The scientific method, since its inception in the 17th century, leaves no room for human emotion or sentiment in the pursuit of quantitative/qualitative veracity. Peter Wohlleben is a scientist, a man, poised at the edge of a precipice. His education and training have led him here. The chasm of empirical scientific data yawns before and below him. But he doesn’t topple. There is an updraft of perceptiveness, of feeling, which envelops his sensibilities and checks his headlong plummet into cold, calculating logic. Wohlleben, in The Hidden Life of Trees, straddles this line between hard science and his amazingly deep and sensitive kinship with his beloved trees, and delivers a work well-populated with the former, but with the latter existing as its true heart.
There is no conflict here for Wohlleben. In this book, the science is there. But it’s offered within the framework of his feelings. His empathy. The very title of this work really says it all. It tells the reader, in unequivocal fashion, what to expect in the book’s pursuant pages. Trees feel. They communicate. No inanimate objects are these. They’re sentient and they live in cooperative groups. They share information and nutrients and sunlight. They care for one another.
These sentiments exist as the true context of this story. The science, while undeniable, serves merely as confirmation for Wohlleben – confirmation of the sentient nature of trees. Again, the title of the book, along with such chapter titles as “Friendships,” “Love,” “Forest Etiquette,” and “A Sense of Time” give readers a pretty good indication of what they’re in for, and set the tone for Wohlleben’s lovely, science-infused, anthropomorphizing prose.
The author avers that trees care for their sick and their young. He believes that they can taste and smell. They communicate with each other along any number of channels and through various media, including sound waves. He assigns the capacity for empathy to the trees themselves. He believes they can gauge the passing of time. And Wohlleben’s ingeniuosly simple and heartfelt writing style makes these assertions, especially when presented in tandem with irrefutable scientific facts, entirely plausible. As an empath myself, I practically swoon when I read some of the passages in this work.
Obviously, Wohlleben has his detractors. A large contingent of the scientific community is not pleased with his assertions. Robert Moor’s excellent piece in The New Yorker (June 10, 2021) provides, among other things, a good account of the scientific community’s displeasure with Wohlleben’s positions. As the promulgators of the scientific method would argue, there’s no room in scientific fact for emotional conjecture. So yes, there are quite a few people out there who do not appreciate Peter Wohlleben, or this particular book.
But I’m not a scientist, and I’m certainly no literary critic. What I am is a guy who likes to read. And Wohlleben has delivered, as far as I’m concerned, a work of extraordinary beauty, replete with the most ingenious combination of hard science and compelling, thoughtful speculation. I also happen to be a guy who loves nature, and who loves plants – including trees. And, as an empath like Wohlleben himself (and like many of you, my readers, I’m sure), I’m well aware of how I feel when I’m out in the woods on my property, or in my little ornamental garden. I feel like I can talk to my plants without being embarrased. Or to the trees. I surely feel that these living beings will listen. And, just as Peter Wohlleben believes, I’ve got a pretty good idea that they’re talking to each other.
Cheers, and Happy Gardening!
i hope you’ve enjoyed “A Review of Peter Wohlleben’s Intimate Examination of Earth’s Oldest Citizens and Their Societies.” Below you’ll find information about Wohlleben’s fascinating, beautiful book, and you’ll have the opportunity to order it. I simply can’t stress to you enough the degree to which this book captivated and moved me.
A review of Peter Wohlleben’s intimate examination of Earth’s most ancient citizens would not be complete without the opportunity to own the book itself. Click the #advertisement link to order the hardcover edition of Peter Wohlleben’s The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate, conveniently from Amazon, here on The Renaissance Garden Guy. I promise that it will be a read you won’t forget. And I can guarantee that you’ll never look at trees – or the plants in your garden, or on your windowsill – the same way again.
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I always talk to the trees and to the plants outside. I give hugs and kisses. I’m weird that way.
I think that’s absolutely wonderful, Annie! Thanks again for reading the review. It’s truly appreciated.
I absolutely love how you’ve described this book John. I read it a few years ago, and completely agree with your assertion that this is a work written with great empathy and also contains irrefutable scientific fact. I loved reading The Hidden Life of Trees and very much enjoyed reading your review of it.
How very kind of you. I’m so glad you enjoyed the review, and I truly appreciate your interest. I’m glad we’re on the same page (so to speak) regarding Wohlleben’s book. It really is a wonderful combination of amazing science and his great empathy and sensitivity. And you’re right. His love for, and feelings of kinship with his trees are what make this book so special. Again, thank you very kindly. I really appreciate your interest and your kind thoughts.
Your topics are always varied and exciting to read. Continue the great journey
Thank you so much, Rick. Truly appreciated. I’m extremely enthusiastic about this particular work. Wohlleben is a fascinating man and a true champion of forests and nature. It’s easy for me to get excited about a book like this one. Thanks again!
Peter really has an interesting point of view. I think every gardener and nature lover agrees with him. If you disagree, take a long walk in the woods. If you are ever in the San Francisco area visit Muir Woods National Monument and see the grove of Redwood trees. They definitely communicate with each other and they will leave you in awe. I just ordered a copy of his book!
Thank you, Kevin, for your thoughts on this fascinating subject. I agree with your assessment. And Wohlleben’s. The communication is obvious. The sentience, though there’s no proof, is something that a sensitive, empathic human being can detect, I believe. Wohlleben feels it, and it suffuses his work. Thanks again, Kevin!
Absolutely Fascinating. I will definitely read the book, always have been attached to nature trees and plants and do feel the connection.
Amazing article 🙏🌸❤️Love, communication, feelings the answer to beauty to everything 🙏
Thank you, Roxxy. I’m so glad you liked the review. The book is fascinating and lovingly written. This man’s love of nature and his trees is very moving. His work is wonderful. I believe you’ll thoroughly enjoy the book. Thanks again!
Excellent review! So good in fact that I am definitely re-reading it. I couldn’t read a book that is all science, Wohlleben writes with scientific knowledge and with affection and respect for trees. I talk to plants and trees all the time, my most common phrase to them is “excuse me.” I’m kind of clumsy 😊 Brilliant review John!
Thank you so much, Jill! How incredibly kind of you to say so. I agree with you entirely. Had Wohlleben’s book been written as pure science, it would have been a textbook. The root of the work is his love of, compassion for, and kinship with his trees. The science, as fascinating as it proves to be, is here in a supporting role. Incidentally, I love what you tell your plants. I’ll bet that they’re grateful for your courtesy! Thanks again, Jill. Very much appreciated.
Can’t wait to order this book!
I’ve always felt a special connection to the magnificent trees!
I’m so glad you liked the review. The book is beautiful. The connection you feel to these incredible organisms is exactly the same thing Wohlleben feels, and he writes about it beautifully in this wondrous work.
They are incredible, except the ones that keep growing in my garden. Good article.
Thank you, Everly. I love this book. I read it when it was first published here and have just re-read it. I love the way this guy looks at life. It’s a special read. Thanks again.