In Peter Wohlleben’s newest book, trees are characters, not commodities. In making his compelling case for a fresh approach to forestry, which values old-growth forests for their climate-cooling capacities, the acclaimed German forester treats trees as individuals with feelings, abilities, memories, and families. We are sometimes left to wonder what it means to say a tree feels emotions such as worry, surprise, and consideration for others, but this unapologetic anthropomorphism nevertheless invites empathy on the part of readers. It is easy to feel an affectionate second-hand embarrassment for the chestnut tree which ‘panicked’ in response to sudden rain by unfurling its blossoms too soon, or indignant on behalf of multi-centenarian beeches threatened by encroaching excavators. Seeing trees as sensate characters also provides a contrast with the unfeeling utilitarianism attributed to mainstream foresters; their industry comes off badly bruised.

By now we are familiar with the idea that trees can help to offset human-caused climate change by absorbing carbon dioxide. Protests against deforestation, especially in the Amazon, are often framed in these terms: we must protect the globe’s ‘green lungs’. Trees’ contribution to managing climate change goes further. Thanks to the process of transpiration, even a single tree outside a suburban house has a cooling effect on those around it. This effect is magnified in large forests, which draw huge volumes of water from the ground and release it to the atmosphere, changing global temperatures and even affecting rainfall on distant continents through the creation of aerial rivers.