"Originally published in Germany in 2015 as Das geheime Leben der Baume"--Title page verso.

"English translation ... Jane Billinghurst"--Title page verso.

Foreword / by Tim Flannery -- Introduction to the English edition -- Introduction -- Friendships -- The language of trees -- Social security -- Love -- The tree lottery -- Slowly does it -- Forest etiquette -- Tree school -- United we stand, divided we fall -- The mysteries of moving water -- Trees aging gracefully -- Mighty oak or mighty wimp? -- Specialists -- Tree or not tree? -- In the realm of darkness -- Carbon dioxide vacuums -- Woody climate control -- The forest as water pump -- Yours or mine? -- Community housing projects -- Mother ships of biodiversity -- Hibernation -- A sense of time -- A question of character -- The sick tree -- Let there be light -- Street kids -- Burnout -- Destination north! -- Tough customers -- Turbulent times -- Immigrants -- Healthy forest air -- Why is the forest green? -- Set free -- More than just a community -- Note from a forest scientist / by Dr. Suzanne Simard.

Are trees social beings? Forester and author Peter Wohlleben makes the case that, yes, the forest is a social network. He draws on groundbreaking scientific discoveries to describe how trees are like human families: tree parents live together with their children, communicate with them, support them as they grow, share nutrients with those who are sick or struggling, and even warn each other of impending dangers. Wohlleben also shares his deep love of woods and forests, explaining the amazing processes of life, death, and regeneration he has observed in his woodland.