intelligent_trees.pdf
intelligent_trees.mp3
Neil
Hello This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English I’m Neil
Georgina
And I’m Georgina
Neil
?How did you spend your free time during the weeks of lockdown, Georgina
?Repainting the living room? Or doing exercise classes in the kitchen
Georgina
Actually, Neil, I’ve been doing some online research into my family history I’m
investigating my family tree – you know, a drawing showing all the relationships
between the different members of my family
Neil
Ah, how interesting! And how appropriate - because trees are the subject of this
programme – not family trees but real, living-in-the-forest trees
Georgina
Well, Neil, this might surprise you but according to some people, trees also have
families There are mother trees who support and help feed child trees
Neil
That’s right According to Suzanne Simard, one of the world’s leading tree
researchers, trees should be seen as intelligent They communicate with each
other They help each other And as you mentioned, Georgina, they can even tell
their family members
Georgina
So a tree can have its own family tree – amazing! Tell me more
Neil
OK, Georgina, but first let me ask you my quiz question The largest trees in a
wood or forest are called ‘mother trees’ As they’re the biggest, mother trees
usually have the longest, most connected roots So my question is this – what is
:the world’s largest currently living tree? Is it
a) a baobab tree?,
b) a giant redwood tree?, or,
?c) a sequoia tree
Georgina
Hmmm… I’ve seen photos of redwood trees in California and they’re huge, so I’ll
say b) a giant redwood
Neil
OK Georgina, I’m sure you only chose that cause it’s the easiest one to
pronounce but we’ll find out the answer at the end of the programme Now let’s
get back to that tree researcher, Suzanne Simard
Georgina
Her big idea was the ‘wood wide web’ – a way of describing the network of
underground roots linking trees to other trees of the same family
Neil
Here’s Suzanne explaining more about tree families to BBC World Service
programme, The Big Idea:
Suzanne Simard
We found that the parent trees would favour those seedlings that were of their
own kin versus the strangers
David Edmonds
That’s extraordinary – and when you say they favour their own family members,
you mean they’ll send more nutrients to their offspring than they would to, as it
?were, a stranger tree
Suzanne Simard
That’s right
Georgina
Mother trees send food and nutrients to their own seedlings – young plants that
have been grown from a seed
Neil
In this way, parent trees help their offspring – another word for their children, or
young Mother trees can recognise and feed other trees of their own kin – an old
fashioned word meaning family
Georgina
With the extra nutrients and carbon they receive, the offspring can extend their
own root network and suck up even more nutrients…
Neil
…which in turn increases their own growth, turning some of them into the giants
we see growing in California and other parts of the world
Georgina
Amazing! With trees behaving in clever ways like this it’s no wonder Suzanne
thinks they have intelligence
Neil
And that’s not all Listen again as Suzanne discusses the question of whether
trees are ‘alive’ with BBC World Service’s, The Big Idea See if you can hear her
opinion
Suzanne Simard
Alive in the sense of having agency in their destinies, instead of being you
know… I think a lot of people think of trees as just sort of like these sticks that
grow out of the ground, they’re kind of these inert things that don’t have agency
in their destiny, that they don’t change behaviours and make decisions but what
we’re finding is that they do all that And you know what step back and think
trees have evolved over a long long long time, way longer than human beings
and they have evolved in communities and they have to grow and survive
Georgina
I think Suzanne believes trees are alive and intelligent, because she says they
have agency – a concept meaning having the ability to act and effect your
environment
Neil
Dying trees even seem to know the future – before they die, they warn their
offspring to start making new root connections
Georgina
Showing that trees have some understanding of their destiny – everything that
happens in someone’s life and what will happen in the future
Neil
So it seems that trees are much more intelligent than we thought, Georgina
Georgina
It’s certainly going to change how I feel about going for a walk in the woods,
surrounded by all those intelligent trees chatting to each other I wonder if they
have family arguments
Neil
Ha Well, I wouldn’t argue with one of those really gigantic tree, such as… well,
Georgina, you tell me
Georgina
?Ah, you mean your quiz question - about the largest living tree
Neil
?Exactly What did you say
Georgina
I said the largest currently living tree was, b) a giant redwood Was I correct,
?Neil
Neil
Well, you got the ‘giant’ part right, Georgina, but in fact the answer was c) a giant
sequoia named General Sherman He lives in California’s Giant Forest, he’s a
whopping 83 metres tall and measures a massive 33 metres around the trunk!
Georgina
Wow! And I bet he has a huge family tree!
Neil
Ha-ha Right then, Georgina, let’s recap the vocabulary we’ve used discussing
intelligent trees, starting with family tree – a diagram showing the relationships
between family members
Georgina
Trees are intelligent enough to communicate with their children, or offspring
These young plants which have grown from seeds are also known as seedlings
Neil
Another word we learned is kin – an old-fashioned way of saying family
Georgina
According to tree expert Suzanne Simard, trees have agency – a term describing
the ability to act and influence your surroundings
Neil
And the fact that trees make all kinds of decisions about their lives suggests they
understand their destiny - everything that happens to someone during their life,
including in the future
Georgina
Thank you for joining our walk through the woods of English vocabulary
Remember you can find more topical discussion on our website…
Neil
…as well as a whole forest of English language resources at
bblearningenglishcom Goodbye for now
Georgina
Bye!
VOCABULARY
family tree
drawing that shows the relationships between the different members of a family
seedlings
very young plants that have grown from seeds
offspring
someone’s children, or the young of an animal or plant
kin
family and relatives (old-fashioned)
agency
ability to act and affect your environment
destiny
everything that happens to someone during their life, including what will happen
in the future
