How Do Trees Communicate?

Trees are far more social than they appear. Underground, most trees form symbiotic relationships with mycorrhizal fungi, whose threadlike hyphae connect the roots of different trees, creating a network sometimes called the "wood wide web." Through this network, trees can share sugars, water, and nutrients with neighbours — even across species — and send chemical warning signals when attacked by pests. Above ground, damaged trees release volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that warn nearby trees to produce defensive chemicals preemptively. Research by Suzanne Simard has shown that "mother trees" preferentially nourish their offspring and struggling neighbours through the fungal network.