The Intelligence of Trees: Discovering the Hidden World of Forests

🌳Old-growth forests are like treasure chests, containing ancient trees with immense biodiversity and genes. These trees act as mother trees, nurturing and communicating with other seedlings.

🌱Seedlings in shaded forests can wait patiently for over a hundred years, relying on mother trees for resources and waiting for an opportunity to grow.

🔌The mycorrhizal network acts as a fungal highway, allowing trees to communicate and share resources. This network has a similar structure to a neural network.

🌍Forests are more than just collections of trees; they are interconnected communities that have evolved intelligence and the ability to perceive, learn, and make decisions.

🌿Trees have been evolving their intelligence for hundreds of millions of years, far longer than humans or animals. Their skills and capabilities are highly evolved and essential for forest survival.

How do trees communicate with each other?

—Trees communicate through a network of mycorrhizal fungi, which act as a fungal internet. They exchange information, nutrients, and warnings about insect attacks or diseases.

How do mother trees help seedlings?

—Mother trees provide resources, such as nutrients and water, to young seedlings in shaded forests. They also communicate with them through chemical signals, helping them grow and survive.

Do trees have memory?

—While trees do not have memory in the same way humans do, they can retain information and respond to past experiences. For example, trees can remember past droughts and develop strategies to cope with future ones.

Why are old-growth forests important?

—Old-growth forests are important because they contain ancient and diverse tree species. These forests act as biodiversity hotspots and provide critical habitat for countless organisms.

How do trees adapt to climate change?

—Trees have evolved over millions of years to survive and adapt to changing climates. Through their intelligence and interconnectedness, they can respond to environmental changes and increase their resilience.

00:30Forests are complex communities with a highly evolved intelligence, where trees communicate and collaborate through a vast underground network of fungi.

06:53Mother trees are large, ancient trees that nurture and communicate with young seedlings, providing them with resources and information.

09:58The mycorrhizal network acts as a fungal highway, allowing trees to communicate and share resources efficiently.

12:08Trees possess a form of intelligence that includes perception, learning, and decision-making, making them essential for the survival and resilience of forests.

23:38Trees in old-growth forests have been evolving their intelligence for hundreds of millions of years, enabling them to adapt and thrive in changing environments.