roots
below the ground. Trees can feel more through the
tips of their roots than we can with our
fingers.
They
can even make decisions with them! A root tip Is
almost like
a
small brain.
If
a
tree's roots meet those of
a
neighboring tree,
they can check whether they belong to the same
species, If so, then those trees are probably part of
the same family. Now their roots will grow together.
The
trees
can
send messages and exchange the sugar
they have
made
through this connection. It's
as
if they
had invited each other to dinner.
It's nice to have family and friends, but not all trees
like each other. Some prefer not to share.
You
can look at old tree stumps to see which trees
belong to
a
community and which stand alone. If the
bark is falling off and the stump is rotten, the tree is
out of touch with its neighbors. If the edge of
an
old
stump is very hard and still has solid bark, the stump
is still alive. That's only possible when the stump is
getting food from its family through its roots.
This is what true tree friends look like. They
stand close together and help each other
Some stumps can stay alive for hundreds of years
like
this.
They may
be
the grandparents
of the
younger
trees around them.
It's likely that old trees and stumps can remember
things that happened long ago. They've experienced
a lot that they can pass on to their younger family
members. They may have learned, for instance, how
to share the water in the soil during
a
dry summer so
that no trees will die of thirst.
Sometimes two related trees like each other so
much that they can no longer live separately. They
grow with their roots so tightly interwoven that they
become like a single tree. Their crowns face away
from each other
so
they don't get
in
each other's way.
With conifers, pairs that seem to be closely linked
might not actually
be.
Conifers grow thinner branches
in the direction of their neighbors, which makes it look
as though
they're being considerate of
each
other, even
though they may not be friends underground.
*
Tree families only work this way if we don't disturb
them.
When trees are cut down, the ones that are
left lose their relatives.
Imagine three trees standing in a row. They're all
connected underground and can talk to each other
through their roots. If the middle tree is cut down,
that connection is broken. And even though the two
remaining trees are not that far apart, they can no
longer send messages—or sugar—to each other
through their roots.
That's why it's always best to leave old trees alone.
WITH
DECIDUOUS
TREES
YOU
CAN RECOGNIZE
real part-
ners by their branches. Two trees standing side by
side will turn their thick crown branches away from
each other. This happens rarely, though, so you may
have to
search
