Fans of forest ecology will be aware that centuries of presumptions about trees have fallen like, well, logs, in the face of new thinking from scientists such as Suzanne Simard, a professor at the University of British Columbia in Canada. 

The theory that individual trees compete with each other for sunlight and water has taken a back seat to a larger idea that resonates with how so many people understood the world before Western science entered the picture. Scientists today are exploring how forests function like tightknit communities. Researchers are finding proof that individual trees “talk” to each other chemically. They share carbon, water, and other nutrients. They support each other in facing threats like insect infestations. The older trees nurture the younger ones and even the injured ones. 

Multiple species of trees and other flora work in concert, not only with each other but also with fauna and fungi, to the advantage of all involved. The healthiest forests, therefore, are those with the most diverse ecosystems.