If a tree falls in the woods and there is no one there to hear it, does it make a sound? The old philosophical question has produced countless answers over the years yet a new answer may now be surfacing; perhaps the other trees heard it. A new line of research is showing that trees are constantly in communication and support of one another.
A German forester named Peter Wohlleben is leading the tree revolution and what he has called the Wood Wide Web. Essentially Peter says that the Darwinian theory that has long been believed about trees competing for sunlight and nutrients is not the whole story. His theory suggests that trees can be communal and that bonds can even be formed with other species when required.
The main way trees communicate is through a complex system of roots. Scientists call them mycorrhizal networks meaning that small fungi fill the gaps between tree roots allowing them to send messages and nutrients to one another. Wohlleben has many examples of this success. Trees who aren’t able to reach light are kept alive by the nutrients from other trees. Trees that are attacked by animals or insects send messages to other trees to prepare their defenses, and they do.
One example from sub-Saharan Africa involves the giraffe. Giraffes are very fond of acacia leaves and feed on them. When a giraffe bites the leaves of a tree, that tree releases gas to warn other trees that the attack is taking place. The trees respond by increasing tannins in their leaves. A high number of tannins can make large animals sick or even kill them. The giraffes appear aware of the communication taking place too. They will often leave large gaps between the acacia trees that they eat so that all of their victims are unsuspecting.
While this area of research is still emerging it already creates a huge amount of intrigue into just how intelligent trees are. If you consider the scene in Lord of the Rings where the trees become fed up with being burnt and start to fight back, it could make you just a little worried. The next time you walk in the woods, listen closely, you may just hear the trees talking about you.