The Hidden Life of Trees - Peter Wohlleben

I guess I have looked at trees my whole life, and not considered how they live.   This book is such an interesting read, educating us about trees and forests.  I had never considered that trees lived as families, helping each other, feeding each other, and how they interact with other species.   How they breathe, and eat, how they know when to grow and when to slow down, how they hibernate and survive invasion from insects and other animals, how they protect themselves from fire, snow and other natural disasters.

The author is German and so the book is based on Northern Hemisphere forests.  I was unaware of how much native forests had been destroyed and how much we need areas of forest left to thrive without human interference.   That giant trees we thought were hundreds of years old, may in fact be thousands of years old, and how leaves from the trees that are swept out to see in rivers help to feed the oceans.  It made me want to go out and hug a big tree or take a walk in the forest. 4/5