I live on a farm on the central coast of California with two small groves of towering redwood trees. I visit one every morning when I walk my dogs, stopping to stand amidst the trees, tilting my head up to look at the sky through their branches. I lean my back against each tree, tuning into its strength before I press my cheek and chest against its thick bark to give it a hug. My arms would need to be much longer to fit all the way around its circumference, which makes me feel like a young child embracing a beloved grandparent many times my size—comforted and protected.

I have always been drawn to trees. As a teenager living in an eleventh-floor apartment in Manhattan surrounded by concrete, I identified with the lone, thin tree confined to a small square of soil cut out of the sidewalk in front of my building. Deeply craving the greenery and freedom of the countryside, I soothed myself by reading poems about trees and forests.

The well-known researcher, Dr. Suzanne Simard, got her PhD in Forest Sciences because she wanted to understand why forests have felt so powerful to her since she was a young girl. She also wanted to help protect them. Her groundbreaking discoveries include many of ways trees communicate with one another through underground fungi networks, and how they help each other by sharing resources. Hub trees, or “mother trees”—the oldest and largest in the forest—are especially important to the ecosystem because they act as central hubs for vast below-ground mycorrhizal networks.

In her popular TEDx talk, Dr. Simard assures us that everything in the forest is connected and communicating. She said, “Most of us have forgotten that we’re connected to each other and to nature—that we are one. Nature is not some separate thing, but an intimate part of us.” She believes that trees perceive many things in their environment, and that it’s very likely they are able to feel the presence of humans when we’re nearby.

Redwoods live 500 to 800 years on average, but many survive for 1,500 years. Giant sequoias can live 3,000 years or more. That means we can touch trees today that carry the wisdom of when the earth was a very different planet. Contemplating the long lifespan of trees can help settle our minds and put the day-to-day dramas of our lives in perspective…

Continue reading in Spirituality & Health Magazine
It includes a wonderful 7-minute guided Tree Meditation!

The Wisdom of Trees