How trees talk to each other | Suzanne Simard

"A forest is much more than what you see," says ecologist Suzanne Simard. Her 30 years of research in Canadian forests have led to an astounding discovery — trees talk, often and over vast distances. Learn more about the harmonious yet complicated social lives of trees and prepare to see the natural world with new eyes.

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[DrumToTheBassWoop]

I got this tree down the bottom of my garden and I got to put a cabin down there and people say cut it so you got more space, but I won't because the tree was there first and earned the right to be there. So I'm building round it. Our silent guardians 😎 🌲

[gazellerichardson]

I lived on the island of Penang for years. Much appreciation and respect for all life. Illegal to cut down a tree, no toxic pesticides, weed killers, cleaning products. No homeless people, a great respect for personal diversities, animals. A different way of living. All of life is connected. Cooperation vs. competition.
Namaste.

[Hugatree]

As children we are drawn to trees, to climb them, sit and fall asleep under them, play in their beloved leaves. 👍🙏👍🙏 to all the tree huggers out there!

[aartig.]

Trees have souls. They've been living for millions of years, and that's because they share, they care and they cooperate and they're amazingly helpful to other organisms. They're the producers; the food pyramid starts from them, they're the ones other organisms eat up, but they're the only one living this long and peacefully.

[benicetoanimals]

I have a 20 yr old indoor Norfolk Pine tree who I tremendously adore. She stands in a window, my neighbors thought she was fake, meanwhile, I’d never been a green thumb (but I want to be because now I know better.) I did know to give her love and attention besides water, play music for her and talk to her using loving compliments (and bigger Pots as the years went by. ) the love and energy I get from her (named her Heather, out of the blue) is so pure and bright. Jam packed with unconditional love. My love for her is the same. It’s a beautiful world because nature is exquisite. and like another commenter wrote: it’s completely free.

[dominotr]

I'm reminded of the forest in Avatar, and it's complexities and sentience. Brilliant talk, and researcher. thanks. All my life I've loved trees. I've had a connection with them my whole life. Their whispers carried in the wind, sometimes I like to think, their laughter, as well. There is magic in trees, very old forgotten magic and if we listen quietly, with reverence, they'll awake it in us as well.

[seamus]

Walking through the woods of New England, I notice the roots of the White Pines wrap over, under and around the nearby trees. They weave over other species like the Maples and Red Pine. When the strong winds blow they hold each other down.

Amazing video, thanks.

Amazing

[jeffshigematsu]

Very fascinating. I chose to watch this video because my house is right next to a nature park full of trees where I walk my dogs. A few weeks ago, the city chopped down one of the trees because a neighbour was complaining that its branch was interfering with his backyard. Such a drastic measure for such a minuscule problem. Now every time I take my dogs to the park, I see the trunk where that tree stood. It's very sad, and wondered if the other trees around it also miss it. Now I know, Thank you Suzanne.

[Lorabliss]

I talk with trees and flowers in my garden every morning. I have this habit from my childhood, when I played and talked with trees and felt very happy...

[thealchemist]

this i true. Trees communicate to each other. The year when my mom in law passed away, all the trees in her garden seemed to mourn too. That year, her Japanese Cherry Blossom did not bloom, her plums, apple and cherry trees bear not single fruit. It made me convince that they might be sad too. who knows.

[bg]

Thank God for people like her. I wish everyone in the world would see this video.💕💕😍

[teburt]

This was profound. I've always believed that even rocks had a sensitivity to an energy network, but this - this touched me so deeply, I'll never look at any plant the same. My yard - becomes my world. Call me a tree hugger. It's not an insult. It's the deepest compliment you can give.

[jetw]

I always feel trees can talk. But never know how they talk. And I don't want people think that I'm crazy. Now I'm so glad that I'm not the only one feel this way. This lady is amazing! Great speech!

[timheartwood]

I love how she explains the science with personal, real life stories. She's not only a great ecologist, she's a great speaker and a friendly human being.

[hodjqfx]

I am a student of university in Japan.🇯🇵(I know my English is terrible, but please read with gentle mind😢)
One of course is forest in my university like this talk. However I cannot decide which course I major, I am very interested in forest.
Thanks for your reading my terrible comments. 🙇‍♀️🙇‍♀️

[passivesn]

The earth is an ecosystem and human activity lacks the understanding of the impact of over harvesting resources has on global sustainability of the planet.
This video emphasizes the problem in a microcosm.
Strip any one element from the system and you can erode the entire system to our species detriment.
Very good presentation TED, thank you.

[Moroni]

I would really like to thank you for your video.  I grew up in up state NY back in the
1980's.  It was north of Malone in an
area known as Trout River, NY.  I grew up
on a farm and used to talk a lot to the older people from the area, who were
then in their 70's, about the area.  One
of the things that I heard was how the woods were awesome and full of great big
healthy trees.  Howerver, on our 120 acre
farm land, the trees were just kind of average and today's termonalgy would
call the woods a second generation forest.   I remember hearing some old timer's talking about how there used to be Patriarch and matriarch trees that would communicate with the woods and keep bad brush out like it was the flu.  How they would deliver nutrients and chemicals as medicine to fight disease and attack.  How the woods looked spectacular and very different from the wetland swampy look it had in the 1980s.  I also remember being on Patrol (US Border Patrol) on the St. Lawrence River) and seeing tree stumps that have been cut many years, under water about 12 feet or more in diameter!  I couldn't believe my eyes...  I understand that the trees and woods and forest interact the way we and our immune systems, / parenting, ect....  When we just went and cut all the big "Mother and Father" trees down, we took out the guardians and all of the little one were more susceptible to sickness and disease...  There is more to the system of life on this Earth, and I know it to be true.  If we were to love and respect all life and understand ourselves to be stewards of this Earth..   Things would be

[crelite]

I haven't had time to view this video yet but just from the title, I had an experience about 1971 that changed my life: I was hitchhiking from SaNta Barbara to Canada for the first time. On the way, I was picked up by a man who took me and some other hitchhikers to Bothell wash. So I could spend the night and cross the border the next day. That night everyone was talking and I slipped out to go for a walk and get some peace and quiet. I had never seen such tall pine trees in my life before! I could see inside the trees, the water and sap moving. I could tell they were very young trees comparatively. Then when a car would go by they reacted with great sorrow and were trying to tell me this; The cars were toxic to them so were making them sad... I had never experienced anything like this before, although I had heard about cleve Backster & his experiments with plants.. This really change my life! Many years later I talked to Julia butterfly on her cell phone when she was up in her tree, I told her about this experience. I feel so happy that I can communicate with trees now, we can learn to hear them if we just listen. It reminds me of a line in an early Joni Mitchell song. And a line in the poem I wrote when I was young:
" The ocean spoke up, from the bottom of the floor,
the tree branches nodded, knowing the score."

[kimberly-abriefongrief]

This is absolutely magical to my heart right now ❤️ I’ve been deeply moved and healed by learning about the necessity of human connection, and how without it, we struggle and our bodies physiologically go into stress mode- the signal is the feelings of loneliness! Nature is magnificent and always teaches us how we can live and connect and love more richly; we just have to slow down enough to receive its magical lessons 🥰

[leesadyal]

I have a favorite tree out in the forest on a trail I hike. It speaks to my heart. I touch it and it feels my vibrations of well-being and I feel it also. We are one at that moment.