Earth, Wind and Fire

More about the book

We know that fungi and trees co-exist in an intimate, sophisticated 'wood wide web', to the benefit of both; what we didn't know, until now, is the colossal extent to which trees shape our world. Taking us on an awe-inspiring journey through time and across the globe, The Genius of Trees restores trees to their rightful position as agents and protagonists in a grand ecological narrative. For the first time, we witness the inventive and astonishing ways trees interact with, sculpt and even master their environment. Some have been using fire as a reproductive tool since prehistoric times. Others have gone to extraordinary lengths to make sure their fruits reach large primates who can spread their seeds over vast distances while poisoning smaller, thus less useful, mammals. Some can even split solid rock and create fertile ground in barren landscapes, effectively building entire ecosystems from scratch. From oaks growing in Devon and Amedi in Iraq to the laurel rainforests of the Canary Islands and metasequoias in California, we see how trees not only farm the landscape in which they grow but also manipulate the fundamental elements, other species and even humankind to achieve their ends. At once poetic and erudite, this eye-opening look into the inner lives of nature's most powerful plant is both a lyrical paean to trees and an urgent reminder why our trees must be saved - before it's too late.