The Wisdom of Trees

When we think of a forest, trees usually come to mind. They are the large organisms that, when grouped together in a large area, define the word “forest”. But what are trees’ purpose? And what do they know, under those layers of dense bark and sapwood?

A forest is basically a community of life. Neighbouring trees often provide each other with nutrients, communicate by sending signals, and feed offspring through their roots. As Suzanne Simard writes about in her recent book, Finding the Mother Tree, “mother trees” are trees that supply their young with nourishment to help them survive and grow. If a mother tree senses a threat nearby, she will send her “babies” out farther away so that they might have a higher chance of survival.

Going into a forest and taking time to slow everything down, to relax and quiet your mind, is a healing process called “forest bathing”. Many people have found that by simply sitting in a forest over many days helps with anxiety, depression, and even some illnesses. I find that by walking and getting into the trees and out of my head, it improves my mood and my overall happiness.

Many trees also provide medicines to those who know how to use them. The young, tender tips on spruce and fir trees are very high in vitamin C, and when added to a meal or a tea, help boost the immunity. The inner bark of trees, called the cambium, was eaten by indigenous peoples as a source of food.

Trees also provide homes for animals, insects, and other organisms, such as moss, lichen, and mushrooms. Rotting and decaying trees, such as the image below, can act as “hotels” for a wide variety of animals.

Reindeer lichen is an important food source for caribou and elk that appears commonly in old growth forests. When these ancient forests are logged, they are replanted with fast-growing trees that do not provide adequate homes for this type of lichen. Thus, the ungulate population is losing an important food source, and predators (like wolves) are being blamed for their declining population.

“Hippies” and other nature-loving stereotyped people are often joked of as “tree-huggers”. While tree hugging is sometimes made fun of, it does have benefits. Connecting to the tree by hugging it can be calming and grounding. It’s a way to relate to the tree and its world – no wonder we use the expression to “stand tall like a tree” or “be rooted like a tree” so often. Their trunks are solid and thick, yet the top of the tree can bend a surprising amount to withstand snapping in a strong wind.

Trees are centred in their world, with wisdom from both the sky and the earth. Many cultures use a hole in a tree as a gateway to another world or place; even movies and books (think “The Princess Bride” or The Midas Tree) use this metaphor for a “door” into another realm.

Typically, you see mushrooms growing on dead or sickly trees. But there are species of mushrooms, such as chaga, that “heal” the trees. Chaga appears on deciduous trees like birch or aspen, and grows into any wounds that the tree has. It almost acts as a bandage to prevent the wound from being infested by insects or other fungus. This is an example of a symbiotic relationship – tree and fungus, coexisting.

Trees provide so much to our lives, and yet we still only view them as a source of materials. We aren’t the only ones who depend on them – animals, plants, and fungi are all connected to trees in a symbiotic trust that is a balance between life and death. Even other trees depend on their neighbours and their community for communicating and nourishment.

At the same time that we can realize there’s much opportunity to learn from trees, we also need to respect them and let them fulfill their role in nature. If we keep taking and taking, soon there will be no more to take, and both trees and humans will suffer from this. Respecting nature is one closer step to finding our balance in this world.

We need to realize that trees mean so much more than just profit. They’re the beings that hold our world together, hung in the equilibrium between sky and earth, life and death, wisdom and instinct. There is so much we can learn from them – if we choose to listen, and if we know how to hear them.