Exploring the inconvenience of trees

If you ask a child to draw a tree, most likely it will be a green circle plopped on top of a brown vertical oblong (with a lot more artistic flavour involved, obviously). Similarly, when most people think of trees, we tend to think of them from the trunk up. But the reality is that there’s as much tree ‘below ground’ as there is above.

As well as supporting us to breathe, trees play a huge significance in our lives and in maintaining and supporting the health and wellbeing of ecosystems. Did you know that trees secretly talk to each other, supported by mycelium in the soil which forms an invisible mycorrhizal network in the soil. And that is only the beginning of research emerging into the secret lives of trees and all they have to teach us about supporting the health and wellbeing of our community. And yet our relationship with trees is one of great contradiction - seeing trees as a commodity as well as something to revere and protect.

This week, we're exploring the inconvenience of trees, thinking about what we can learn from trees and how can we bring some of this invisible wisdom into our lives and communities. In this episode, we reference the following:

• The Overstory - Richard Powers (book)
• How trees secretly talk to each other - BBC (video)
• Suzanne Simard - ecologist (website)
• Entangled Life - Merlin Sheldrake (book)
• Sycamore Gap Tree (website)
• Temperate Rainforest restoration, Devon (campaign)
• Wilding - Isabella Tree (book / film)
• Rachel's tattoo (image)
• Holly's Tree pit (image)
• Transforming Leadership Course - ThoughtBox (online course)

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