Review | Are trees like people? The Heartbeat of Trees by Peter Wohlleben lays out the arguments rooted in science
- Peter Wohlleben’s new book suggests that trees have assorted senses that parallel our own, and that communication of a kind may be possible between them and us
- This is no fairy tale but there’s a sense throughout that Wohlleben is swinging over a chasm of New Ageism and wishful thinking
The Heartbeat of Trees by Peter Wohlleben, pub. Greystone Books
The Heartbeat of Trees is an offshoot of Peter Wohlleben’s 2015 bestseller, The Hidden Life of Trees, and in it he follows much the same path as before, leading us into a forest of ideas including that trees are social beings, and forests are communities.
But with this new book he goes deeper into the woods, introducing research suggesting that trees have assorted senses that parallel our own, and that perhaps communication of a kind may be possible not only between trees of the same species, but between them and us.
The importance of Wohlleben’s work is in persuading us to think of trees as living beings, perhaps even conscious ones, so that empathy may help us to cherish the centuries-long slow natural growth of dense and varied woodland. Wohlleben wants us to think of trees much in the way we think of elephants.
“I like to compare the two because they have much in common. Both live in social groups and look after not only their young but also their elders. That famous elephant memory is also found in trees, and both communicate in languages that we didn’t even recognise at first.”
He writes in an engaging and avuncular manner as if telling a good bedtime story, although no fairy tale, but one largely rooted in science. His approachable style means he vastly outsells the often more cautious accounts of scientists he cites.