When the world gets closer.

We help you see farther.

Sign up to our expressly international daily newsletter.

Already a subscriber? Log in .

You've reached your limit of one free article.

Get unlimited access to Worldcrunch

You can cancel anytime .

SUBSCRIBERS BENEFITS

Exclusive International news coverage

Ad-free experience NEW

Weekly digital Magazine NEW

9 daily & weekly Newsletters

Access to Worldcrunch archives

Free trial

30-days free access, then $2.90
per month.

Annual Access BEST VALUE

$19.90 per year, save $14.90 compared to monthly billing.save $14.90.

Subscribe to Worldcrunch
Germany

The Hidden Life Of Trees, And Spiritual Path For Animals

Peter Wohlleben wrote an unlikely bestseller about trees. Now the lifelong forester explores the spiritual side of animals.

Sunlit foliage in Berlin
Sunlit foliage in Berlin
Kristian Frigelj

Peter Wohlleben is standing on a forest path, talking about the sex life of snails. He knows tons of stories and anecdotes ticks feeling hungry, jealous maggots driven to eat the rubber on your tires. Ever since he learned about that, he said, Wohlleben avoids leaving his car outside overnight.

In the true-life yarns he spins, the animals seem human, like in a fairy tale. He's been perched on top of the German bestseller list with his book "The Hidden Life Of Trees" first published in 2015 in which he describes trees' feelings and their ways of communicating. As a matter of fact, trees "cuddle," "nurse" and "educate" their tree-offspring, the forester explains.

The book has been sold over half a million copies so far, translated in 26 languages. It will be published in North America and the UK in September 2016, and distributed soon after in other English-language territories worldwide.

Last week his new book "The Spiritual Life Of Animals" was published in Germany. Wohlleben had been writing since 2007, mostly guidebooks about nature, and he can't really explain his current success. He says he does nothing more than explain universal truths that have been obvious to him since his childhood, a longing for something more natural and original.

It's not easy to meet Wohlleben who lives largely sealed off from the world. The forester takes me in his small black cross-road vehicle to the "Forest of peace," which he says should stand as an example for other forests in Germany.

He criticizes the conventional forest industry that prioritizes cleaning and profiteering. If trees have to be chopped, no heavy Harvester-machines must be used as they would only destroy the soil with their weight and large tires. He relies on horses instead.

The forest is financially sustainable by leasing parcels to "godfathers" who want to save it from deforestation. In one part of the "Forest of peace" one can even bury the deceased. Wohlleben says he's achieved one of his childhood dreams: the fewer the people, the more nature becomes whole.

As he strolled through the forest on a recent visit, Wohlleben recalled his early interest in biology. Once as a teenager he wanted to find out if a baby bird could get attached to him, so brooded an egg with a heating pad and a scarf, talking to the embryo behind the shell. After it hatched, the small cheeping little ball of feathers wound up following Wohlleben non-stop.

The father of two grown-up children often smiles when thinking about his experiences and the impressive capacities of animals. "I want people to be more attentive. If you understand what's going on in animals, it's much more fun to observe them," he says. Flies founder their wings when sleeping, just like dogs, horses — and humans. "They probably even dream," Wohlleben adds.

In his new book, the animals have a human side. But actually, it's the inverse. "Humans are a lot like animals. Feelings are the language of instincts. If you say an animal follows its instincts, then you have to allow them the whole array of feelings and emotions." Wohlleben gives an example: Someone who wants to lose weight and can't resist the chocolate on the table. "The instinct has won over the mind. The only difference with the animal it wouldn't feel guilty about it."

When driving back to his house, he points at the ash trees on the roadside. "We're currently passing by tress that are actively communicating. We eject sound waves, and they do it electrically over the roots or a fragrance vocabulary," he explains.

"The Hidden Life Of Trees" triggered a lot of criticism. Some complain his narrative style is too whimsical for the scientific subject matter. Wohlleben expects criticism following his second book too. Again, he thinks of an anecdote: "Things have been different in the past by the way. In medieval times processes have been led against rats. They had lawyers," he says. "With the enlightenment we have gotten used to seeing animals as "machines."

But Wohlleben says the medieval ideas were "the other extreme — a happy medium has to be found." It's worth noting that the acknowledgments page in his new book begin with thanks to his family and editor, then he makes sure not to forget "Maxi, Schwänli, Vito, Zipy, Bridgi" and all the other four-legged and winged beings that may have helped him along the way.

You've reached your limit of free articles.

To read the full story, start your free trial today.

Get unlimited access. Cancel anytime.

Exclusive coverage from the world's top sources, in English for the first time.

Insights from the widest range of perspectives, languages and countries.

FOCUS: Russia-Ukraine War

Why Poland's Break With Ukraine Weakens All Enemies Of Russia — Starting With Poland

Poland’s decision to stop sending weapons to Ukraine is being driven by the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party's short-term electoral calculus. Yet the long-term effects on the world stage could deeply undermine the united NATO front against Russia, and the entire Western coalition.

Photo of ​Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky with Polish President Andrzej Duda in Lutsk, Ukraine, on July 9

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky with Polish President Andrzej Duda in Lutsk, Ukraine, on July 9

Bartosz T. Wieliński

-Analysis-

WARSAW — Poland has now moved from being the country that was most loudly demanding that arms be sent to Ukraine, to a country that has suddenly announced it was withholding military aid. Even if Poland's actions won't match Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki’s words, the government has damaged the standing of our country in the region, and in NATO.

“We are no longer providing arms to Ukraine, because we are now arming Poland,” the prime minister declared on Polsat news on Wednesday evening. He didn’t specify which type of arms he was referring to, but his statement was quickly spread on social media by leading figures of the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party.

Stay up-to-date with the latest on the Russia-Ukraine war, with our exclusive international coverage.

Sign up to our free daily newsletter.

When news that Poland would be withholding arms to Ukraine made their way to the headlines of the most important international media outlets, no politician from PiS stepped in to refute the prime minister’s statement. Which means that Morawiecki said exactly what he meant to say.

The era of tight Polish-Ukrainian collaboration, militarily and politically, has thus come to an end.

Keep reading...Show less

The latest