Trees in Community

Learn more about how trees communicate and share using a fungal network to connect beneath ground.  

How Trees Talk to Each Other – TED Talk by Suzanne Simard (video)

  • In less than 20 minutes hear a comprehensive overview of Simard speaking about her scientific exploration into the world of tree communication

Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest by Suzanne Simard (book)

  • A story of Simard’s life and what lead her to reveal revolutionary science about the ability of trees to communicate. 
  • An easy to read explanation of what she has learned
  • An honest portrayal of the challenges of being a woman in science.
  • While not a huge focus of the book, an important acknowledgement of one way Indigenous knowledge reached the same conclusion long before Simard’s experiments proved them through a scientific lens.

The Secrets of the Wood Wide Web by Robert MacFarlane (article)

  • Learn more about the role of the mycorrhizal fungi in the communication of plants and tree through a spotlight on plant scientist Merlin Sheldrake’s work.

The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben

  • Forester Peter Wohlleben shares how science and his experience tending beech forests in Germany have revealed fascinating insight into tree communities.
  • While criticized by scientists for asserting too much (applying too many human attributes to trees) I appreciate the way he relates tree-life to our human experience—generating empathy and wonder for forests.