Tree Talk

By Ryan Grajewski '18

People do a lot of talking. For those that are extroverts, talking is the glue that binds people together. Yet, for some introverts, too much talking might only become an annoyance. To escape the buzz of our modern lives, some people withdraw to long walks along the beach, or in the woods. However, as odd as it may sound, we may not be able to find as much tranquility as we would hope in the woods. Aside from the critters and bugs that inhabit a forest, the trees themselves are the extroverts of their habitat. As it turns out, trees do a lot of talking too.

Everyone knows that a tree doesn’t have a mouth, so therefore, a tree can not verbally talk either. However, even though trees do not communicate out loud, that does not mean they are not communicating at all. Scientist Suzanne Simard, a professor at the University of British Columbia, made the astounding discovery that trees are, in fact, able to "talk" with one another through a series of vast underground networks. These networks, known as mycorrhizas, consist of the extended roots of fungi on the forest floor that connect the roots of one tree to the roots of another. Essentially, this network of roots functions as a forest's Facebook or Twitter, where one tree in need can send a message asking for nutrients or water.

Until recently, scientists have largely understood the model of a forest to be driven by competition. While not incorrect, this idea of interspecific competition for root space, light, and nutrients has clouded our perception of how trees may actually communicate in other, less aggressive ways. Thanks to Suzanne Simard it is now accepted that trees are constantly interacting with each other in a mutualistic relationship that helps diversify and strengthen the resilience of a forest ecosystem.

During her early stages of research, Simard hypothesized that these mycorrhizas, literally meaning "fungus-roots," would connect surrounding trees in a vast web of roots that would enable them to transport materials to one another. She experimented on sets of Douglas Fir and Paper Birch saplings, covering the Fir trees in a dark plastic bags, and Birch trees in clear plastic bags. Simard then injected the clear plastic bag with a carbon dioxide tracer isotope, hoping that after an hour of time, the Birch tree would have absorbed the gas and transported it to the sunlight deprived Fir tree. Over all of her fifty samples, Simard's evidence was clear that the Birch tree did in fact transport the carbon dioxide tracer isotope to the Fir tree via the mycorrhizal network that connected the two trees underground.

Simard's discovery not only shocked the science world, but it also impacted the world of forestry. Along with her evidence of the underground mycorrhizal network, Simard concluded that certain elderly trees in an ecosystem acted as "hub trees," which most of the mycorrhizal networks connected to. These hub trees, also called "Mother trees," are essentially the anchors of a forest ecosystem, in which younger saplings can latch on and request nourishment through the transportation of water, carbon, and nutrients. Some foresters have even taken action to prevent the destruction of these Mother Trees in order to help sustain a healthy growth pattern for forest ecosystems.

So, the next time you attempt to escape from the busyness of our modern society, do not take a walk in the woods; the trees will be talking just as loud.

Simard, Suzanne. "Conversations in the Forest: The Roots of Nature's Equanimity | SGI Quarterly." SGI Quarterly. N.p., Jan. 2015. Web. 19 Feb. 2017.

Suzanne Simard: How Trees Talks to Each Other. Perf. Suzanne Simard. TED Talks. N.p., June 2016. Web. 19 Feb. 2017.

Toomey, Diane. "Exploring How and Why Trees ‘Talk’ to Each Other." Yale Environment 360. Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, 1 Sept. 2016. Web. 19 Feb. 2017.