19th March 2025
“I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5
According to Suzanne Simard, professor of forest ecology at the University of British Columbia,
“Trees are “social creatures” that communicate with each other in cooperative ways that hold lessons for humans.”
She explains “Trees are linked to neighbouring trees by an underground network of fungi that resembles the neural networks in the brain.”
In one study, Simard watched as a Douglas fir that had been injured by insects appeared to send chemical warning signals to a ponderosa pine growing nearby. The pine tree then produced defence enzymes to protect against the insect.
“This was a breakthrough,” Simard says. The trees were sharing “information that actually is important to the health of the whole forest.” In addition to warning each other of danger, Simard says that trees have been known to share nutrients at critical times to keep each other healthy. She says the trees in a forest are often linked to each other via an older tree she calls a “mother” or “hub” tree.” (1)
Good communication and the value of interconnectedness are key to flourishing communities.
The Green Tau 