So, I'm going to tell you an unusual story, and you do not have to believe me that it's true; I urge you, in fact, to disbelieve it, and to conclude I simply made it all up. But, if I write it now, it might be proven right at one point in the future, and then I can say 'I was right, I called this.'
As a child, I used to have a favourite tree. It was a big oak tree, with the lowest branches just low enough for me to grab and climb on. The ants were always crawling up on it. I would climb this tree and watch the sunset trough the frame of its branches.
I also often felt lonely and troubled as a child, so I would sit with my back leaning to the tree, and I would tell stories, things I couldn't say to people. Sometimes I would come there seeking advice, not knowing how to go about life. The tree was, as all trees are, a great listener. I can't tell you what the tree was thinking, but I was sure we were becoming friends.
One day, I wondered what the tree's story was. And I was a weirdo little child, okay, I was convinced I could communicate with anything, that I could feel anyone's emotions. And it was not a magical thing, kids sometimes develop some extra senses when they're in an environment where they have to watch out for other's moods. I was convinced that me + tree communication was possible. So that one day, I wanted to hear the tree's story. I pressed my entire body to the trunk and concentrated. I could almost feel energy flowing trough the tree, I could swear that I felt it. I imagined what must be in there. And then I saw something interesting. The trees roots continued underground, far beyond what I expected they would, and they had a way to connect and communicate with other trees down there. They could tell what was happening to the other trees that way. They were all connected underground.
This wasn't all I saw, but I'll come back to it.
I was impressed and fascinated by this new knowledge. Trees could share information. Trees knew if you were nice to another tree, especially if it was the same species. Word got around. They knew where other trees were growing too, and how many. I was happy to know that my tree was not alone and was in contact with all other trees, even when it grew alone. I didn't share this knowledge with anyone, as it would be impossible to explained how I gained this information.
Years later, it was discovered that trees do communicate underground, using mycelium as their communications network. 'Hm', I thought, seeing those news. 'I already knew that. It seems they only figured it out now'. I didn't know about the mycelium though, I just knew they were communicating. So I did get correct information back there as a kid, it was just too unusual for me to believe it.
However the discoveries didn't encompass everything I'd seen. There's another piece of information I got back then, that isn't yet – and maybe it won't be discovered at all.
I didn't just see the trees communicating down there. I saw them having conferences.
It wasn't constant and ongoing communication, the trees had set times where they would all focus, share their information, and they made decisions based on the information they gathered. So the trees are not only communicating, they also problem-solve and make decisions together. It makes me think of the communal sharing of forests – if one tree is weak and isn't getting enough nutrients or light, the other trees, or the mother tree would send that tree enough nutrients to survive, which makes it more likely that a tree would thrive in a forest, than alone. I feel like that's the kind of thing they might be deciding on their meetings, which trees need the most help and how those resources are allocated to them. I think this is a correct way to hold a community.
They also share the information about when predators or pests about to attack, and some trees are able to change the taste of their leaves or the chemicals in their trunks, in order to deter the enemy. Which I think is really cool for them to be able to do. Again, I have to conclude that the trees are superior to us.
So, I haven't been able to build another close connection to a tree like that (maybe you have to be a child in order to attain such special things), so I can't go ask another tree more about it, but that's what I have. Underground tree conferences. If in 10 years scientists come out with research supporting this, you knew it first. If not, well hey, we can theorize about trees, it's not illegal.
Again I do not claim I accrued this knowledge trough magical means, and maybe I'm just lying. But, if you're still reading, I can tell you that trees growing in close proximity to humans, are much more friendly to humans, than those in wild, abandoned forests. Some trees have a wacky sense of humor and will attempt to make humans laugh. Some trees show certain levels of concern over humans – we're very soft, squishy and fragile in comparison to them! And we get stressed a lot, while trees get stressed during droughts and pest pressure, which doesn't happen all the time. Trees have a greater sense of acceptance, there's things above their power to change and they make peace with it easier than we do.
So there's the information I gathered trough unusual means, and I while I cannot promise its reliability, I do think it's all good fun. And be nice to your trees. Because all other trees will hear about it.
