Review by C.J. Bunce
Generations of Americans grew up with the comic strip Mark Trail, based on a real-life environmentalist and park ranger sharing nature facts with readers. If I were to recommend one book this year for anyone looking to increase their knowledge of the natural world, or a gift for a child or a grandchild, it would be The Hidden Life of Trees–A Graphic Adaptation, available now here at Amazon. It’s a graphic novel edition of world-renowned German tree expert Peter Wohlleben’s award-winning book, adapted by French writer Fred Bernard and French artist Benjamin Flao. Wohlleben is the modern day Mark Trail. For 240 pages of striking watercolor artwork, the story of trees comes to vivid life, with every panel full of natural science facts. It’s an examination of both the natural beauty of trees and the woods and all the creatures that feed and depend upon trees (including humans), with all the information you’d find in a Natural Sciences textbook. What may surprise readers is how much information can be contained in the graphic novel format–every panel on every page will surprise and inform readers of any age about the world around them and all they know so little about.
Below take a look inside this giant, hardcover book filled with colorful illustrations, courtesy of publisher Greystone Books.
Wohlleben is the narrator of the book, taking the reader along on his journey in discovering the similarities between human interactions and the connectedness of trees with each other and their environment. Accompanied by his dog Maxi, he also explores his own life, beginning as a kid filled with wonder, emerging as a forester for the government in Germany for 20 years. For that time he learned that current methods of logging and forestry were not sustainable. Worse, the very idea that the industry was taking a toll on trees and their habitats, in a way that could not be recovered, did not enter the minds of anyone within the establishment. Wohlleben made efforts to educate and inform but they fell on deaf ears.
It was only after he quit working for the forestry service that the government in Germany re-hired him to enact his ideas.
But most of the book is about what Wohlleben learned along his journey. The data and findings he provides will be jaw-dropping for most readers. The very idea that trees communicate with each other and have specific warning systems may seem surprising, but the story of the acacia trees in Africa is only one example. They literally can defend themselves by becoming bitter upon being chewed by the giraffe, at the same time sending out chemical signals downwind to other trees that the giraffes are coming.
Wohlleben discusses many of the ways that trees are harmed by animals, insects, and spores, and also how they can have a mutually beneficial relationship. Many of the best anecdotes show the parallels between human interaction and the interrelationship between trees and other parts of the forest.
The evidence provided is overwhelming, that trees are indeed social beings, the forest their own social network, and part of their own “wooded wide web.” Wohlleben likens trees to human families: tree parents live together with their children, support them as they grow, share nutrients with those who are sick and struggling, and warn each other of impending dangers.
The Hidden Life of Trees–A Graphic Adaptation is an eye-opening, refreshing, and at times a hopeful look at the natural world in a a way that can inspire readers to re-think the role of man and nature to help ensure the survival of both. Don’t pass up this opportunity to learn about this fascinating and important subject. Certain to spark the imagination and passion of any person young or old who loves a walk in the woods and wants to know more and do more for the environment, The Hidden Life of Trees–A Graphic Adaptation is available now here at Amazon and at bookstores everywhere, from publisher Greystone Books and the David Suzuki Institute.
