The Power of Trees by Peter Wohlleben review – let’s turn over a new leaf

Trees can identify which seedlings growing around them are their own offspring and use their roots to feed their ‘kids’ with a sugary solution.
Photograph: Jeremy Walker/Getty Images

Next time you’re walking through a park on a hot day, take a moment to sit under a big old tree. While you’re reclining under the shady boughs, you’ll find that the temperature is something like 2C cooler than if you were beneath a parasol.

Why? Because a mature deciduous tree releases a massive amount of water from its leaves, which cools the surrounding air as it evaporates, just like the way sweating cools our bodies down.