Do Trees Communicate With Each Other?

Author: Linda Sanford

Yesterday I had the opportunity to walk and hike with a new awareness, in a diverse forest of 200 year-old trees. I’m completely in awe of how trees talk to each other!  The forest floor was so quiet and yet there was this new awareness within me of organisms hard at work, continuously recycling fallen material into the nutrients fueling growing plants. Fallen trees, root systems showing up in all stages, with some showing vibrant growth and nurturing from their “nursemaid mothers”.

Looking at the exposed root systems with this new awareness, I was able to experience the beauty of trees and plants connecting through fungi living in the soil.  Visualizing these fungi connections (and what that looks like within all the different trees and other plant life) was amazing as I looked at exposed root systems and visualized the creation of a mycorrhizal network.

Do take a pause and watch this 4-minute video that simplifies the process happening under our feet in the quiet of the forests. Recognizing what a healthy forest looks like provides a Healthy Environment that has the opportunity to bring peace and calm into our Healthy Home.

Now that you have taken a pause and viewed the video, as you’re walking and hiking, take a closer look at the root systems of toppled trees and rotting logs. Look for the insects and birds as they chew and peck into materials that then open pathways for bacteria and fungi to decompose the wood – all of which are nutrients for living roots! This is the foundation form for our forests’ network, sending messages and food source to each other.

This is the infrastructure of a Healthy Forest!

 

 

I am still very curious and continue to take time with how trees communicate, considering:

• How does the fungal network work?
• How trees share resources.
• How the sharing helps trees defend themselves.
• How sharing resources benefits trees of various ages.
• How fungal network keeps forests healthy.

Here’s another resource I use to help me understand the bullet points above.

Sharing with each of you is a pleasure.  As you take your next stroll or hike in the forests, think of all the communication that is happening beneath your feet and how that relates to your living within a Healthy Environment and in a Healthy Home.