TEXARKANA, Texas - Retired Texarkana College biology professor Delores McCright spoke on the "Hidden Life of Trees" Tuesday at the September meeting of Friends United for a Safe Environment at the Texarkana Public Library.
McCright's presentation was based on information from the book "The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate - Discoveries From a Secret World" by Peter Wohlleben.
"I love a tree. I plant trees all the time," McCright said.
Part of the presentation included information on the practical things that trees provide.
Trees can act as wind barriers, reduce storm runoff and act as noise buffers. Of course, they also provide oxygen, take up carbon monoxide and help reduce electric bills.
The book was translated from the German language.
Wohlleben spent more than 20 years working for the forestry commission in Germany before leaving to put his ideas of ecology into practice. He ran an environmentally friendly woodland, where he worked toward the return of primeval forests, as well as caring for both wild and domestic animals.
McCright discussed Wohlleben's theories that trees in a forest are social beings that feel and communicate by scent, warn each other of danger and share nutrients.
The old belief that talking to plants helps them grow comes from the theory that motion causes growth in plants. Therefore, vibrations from a person's voice can help a plant grow, McCright said.
"The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate - Discoveries from a Secret World," is available on Amazon and from other booksellers.
FUSE meetings are free and open to the public.