If Trees Could Talk

German forester Peter Wohllenben

Every once in a while, I chance upon a person, place or idea that jolts me and shifts my world on its axis. That’s how I felt recently when I stumbled upon a newspaper review of the German book, The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate. The book’s author, 52-year-old forester Peter Wohllenben, describes his personal and professional relationship with trees and the transformations they’ve wrought in his life. I hasten to add that we’re not talking about easy transformations or storybook endings here. This is a man who has been ridiculed and misunderstood, who quit his longtime job as a civil servant in order to put his ecological ideals into practice (not knowing how he’d provide for his family), and who suffered panic attacks and depression—all thanks to his love affair with trees. More here...