The Secret Wisdom of Nature: Trees, Animals, and the Extraordinary Balance of All Living Things -― Stories from Science and Observation (The Mysteries of Nature, 3)

The Secret Wisdom of Nature is the third in author Wohlleben's trilogy. The first dealt with trees and the second with animals. Both were marvelous in the way science and Wohlleben's anecdotes were interwoven into enjoyable and easy to read text. That's nothing to say of his great knowledge, much learned by first hand observation, of our physical world. Secret Wisdom is written in the same manner with the same surprising facts, e.g. killing wolves in Yellowstone caused erosion along riverbanks. Huh!? Yes it's true. On page 167 the author writes, "Does that sound complicated? I think so too."The real emphasis on the third book is the effect people have had on the environment and surprisingly it seems that even actions meant to help often have deleterious effects. Germans have made an effort to feed roe deer helping them make it through hard winters. Now there are more deer than ever and of course the effect on woodlands is not the best as the browsers are doing what they do best.There's a dark side to human activity as well. It seems our success as a species is based in part on our ability and willingness to kill anything that flies, swims, crawls, or walks. But putting that aside our complete domination of the planet, even when well intentioned, can have unintended consequences. Let me add a personal note. This winter was very cold with record setting snow. We decided to feed wild turkeys to get them though the winter. The 105 turkeys are doing fine but they have scared off the crows, blue jays, and woodpeckers. By helping one specie we have probably hurt others. This is much of what Wohlleben writes.Same size book as first two with same paper and same size print. Maybe not as good as first two books (they were really ,really good) but I'm still glad I bought it. Recommended.

If you like the style of previous Peter Wohlleben books then you will enjoy The Secret Wisdom of Nature. Choosing ecosystems for its theme, the book is more united by conveying scientifically valid facts with emotional resonance than by a strict focus on its subject. This is not to say that the book has no larger themes. Only that whether one likes the book will be less determined by virtue of its conclusions than by whether one likes anecdotal science.Essentially, Wohlleben aims for depicting the incredible amount of interconnectedness and homeostasis that takes part at the macro level between plants and animals. Thus, we learn of the effects of bacteria thousands of feet under the earth as well as the perennial Wohllebenian theme of the tragedy of the loss of old growth forests.While the material will not be as surprising to readers as the science in the Hidden Life of Trees this doesn’t mean that it is uninteresting or not worth reading.And Wohlleben’s larger theme that macro-level ecosystems are so complex that it is best if we simply try to limit the effects of our species as much as possible—rather than intervene to recreate older biological homeostases—is well-argued and relevant to present day environmentalism.I cannot say my worldview was transformed by this book, but I can say I was not only entertained but educated to have more informed opinions on environmental issues. His realistic but optimistic approach to handling such problems in the Anthropocene era is a refreshing change from more alarmist perspectives.In short, there are no real faults in the book just less material than the Hidden Life of Trees which will completely surprise the reader. It’s worth adding the perspective, tone and information in this book to one’s outlook on nature.

I can't begin to list all the things that I liked about this book. Suffice to say that I had NO idea as to what trees are capable of doing, and how enormously important they are to our planet, and the continued existence of humanity on this planet. READ THIS BOOK!!! You will be amazed at what you learn, and would never have thought possible for trees to do - I guarantee it!IMPORTANT NOTE: You will learn that All the things you've heard from the big timber/lumber companies (i.e. Weyerhauser etc.) about the harvesting of trees, and their "crop row" re-planting are WRONG/LIES, LIES and MORE LIES! They ONLY say the things they do in an attempt to appease their detractors, so that they can keep destroying our forests, and continue to fill their pockets.Those people care not one whit about the fact that what they are doing is hastening the onset of global climate change, and the annihilation of the human race - and just about everything else on this planet. They don't care because they are old, money-hungry, men without consciences who have only another ten or twenty years of life left, so don't care about how much their actions ravage the Earth, 'cause they will be gone before it affects them! They also show that they don't love their families, friends or fellow human beings who will have to deal with the misery they have caused/are causing that will follow in their wake.READ THIS BOOK!!!

I can’t stop telling everyone around me all of the thinks I’ve learned from this book. Defiantly persuaded me to read all of the literature from this author

Were you parked at the end of my street? That was a really quick delivery. The book was for my husband and he reviewed the book and said, this is going to be a really good one. Read this author before and this one looks even better than the first one I read!”

This book arrived so quickly, is in excellent condition, and it's the start of a selection of books on trees that I'm building for adult education students. This particular book was brought to my attention after it was quoted in a Sunday sermon by our minister. Trees have always held a special interest for me, and I'm looking forward to reading this book to discover new secrets.

A great book to understand how nature works.

Great book to learn about trees

This is the first review I have written and I read many books.This author is exceptional, and deserves an exemplary review.The content and meaning of this book and the impact it should have on society as a whole make it too important to not write a positive and glowing review.I also read the author's excellent The secret life of trees, and learned so very much.The writing style flows smoothly and the author makes the complicated relatable and easy to understand.I have thoroughly enjoyed the books I have read and plan on obtaining the balance of titles.To the author, if you read this review, please accept my thanks for the wonderful content you have provided.This book should be read by everyone!

Excellent storytelling made complex issues understandable. Easy to read and you learn a great deal.

Have not read the whole book yet but looks good