A Surprising Call for Action on Climate Change: Leave Forests Be!

Peter Wohlleben has a novel solution for the climate crisis: forests. Or rather, the solution is to simply let forests be.

In his global bestseller The Hidden Life of Trees, Wohlleben, a German arborist, revealed astonishing discoveries about the social networks of trees; the book contributed heavily to the emerging science of trees communicating underground through what has been cleverly dubbed the Wood Wide Web. 

In Wohlleben’s worldview, trees “talk,” share nutrients, defend themselves, even cooperate. The book-- controversial as you can imagine in academic and industry circles-- catapulted Wohlleben into cultural crossover superstardom, and he is now suddenly  a crucial voice in global sustainability.

He’s back with a follow-up, The Power of Trees: How Ancient Forests Can Save Us if We Let Them Be. He advocates in passionate and surprisingly plain English-- though he writes in German-- that ancient forests will prove a crucial and, even better, affordable solution to the climate crisis.

And they may save us.

Given the importance of Wohlleben’s voice and writing, the Narberth Bookshop and the Lower Merion Conservancy will be teaming up to provide a conversation about the book. Get your copy (from Narberth or anywhere) and join us on Thursday, June 29 at 7:00 p.m, with the bookshop offering complimentary wine and cheese.

I'm thrilled to be facilitating the conversation that night.

The Power of Trees is an amazingly readable book filled with up-to-date and often surprising discoveries of, yes, the power of trees, with delicious digressions on a number of topics, like the diversity of bacteria that inhabit just your hands… 

His colorful writing is unique in presenting trees as not unlike us-- they make decisions, sometimes choose foolishly, even learn. While this choice has been criticized, it does make tree biology come alive in ways you’ve never read before, and you will definitely emerge from the book with a heightened sense of-- and respect for-- the power of trees. And you’ll want to read The Hidden Life of Trees, too.