This year is the International Year of the Tree. Why is this significant? According to Diana Beresford-Kroeger and Jean Shinoda Bolen, how we care for our trees could determine whether we survive, not only as a species but as a planet.

For instance, did you know that old-growth forests function as intelligent, co-operative communities? Through their intricate network of roots, mature trees support and communicate with each other.

When one tree suffers, nearby trees send out specific chemical nutrients to strengthen the tree’s weakened immune system. When the ailing tree recovers or dies, the other trees immediately know, and stop sending support.

In her latest book, Like a Tree: How Trees, Women, and Tree People can Save the Planet, Ms Shinoda Bolen identifies some people as tree people, while others are not.

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