If you want to see the forest, look beyond the trees.
December 2025
Published by Willem Vreeswijk/ MaatschapWij
Published by Willem Vreeswijk/ MaatschapWij
The sounds and smells of the forest. The freshness. The solitude. Here we may feel alone, but never lonely. We return from forest walks rejuvenated and relaxed. As if we have drunk some magical elixir of life. Have you ever wondered why this is, and why we feel this way.
I have a little glimpse … and I invite you on a short e-forest walk.
Every year I return to The Netherlands on a conversation tour, travelling around to various events sharing inspirations and insights from the wild. About the inter-connection of all life forms on earth. As our fundamental well-being depends on the well-being of our forests, oceans, deserts, mountains, atmosphere, soil and rivers. My life explores this relationship, and, most importantly, how we can integrate it into our modern world. In other words, what we can discover in nature, and how this can guide us toward a more fruitful society.
I arrive on tour armed with Bushman artefacts, stories and glossy photographs of Africa and our wildlife. Perfect for a powerpoint presentation right! But there is so much inspiration on your doorstep. Of all the events, those ranging from formal galas, to corporate settings or to campuses, my favourite, without doubt, is an unplugged forest walk.
Its humbling out there. The forest is a leveller. Once you remove distractions, mobile phones, electronic presentations or office walls, and sitting on the forest floor, something magical happens to us. And once you remove our ego-centric notions of power or position, all that remains is a quite, green, leafy, sweet-smelling present moment!
Intrinsically, this is the space in which the human being is at his or her most connected and available. Giving and taking flows and natural dialogue comes easy. If you haven’t done so yet, try it.
Quality time outdoors is the world’s fastest growing hobby or pastime, and with good reason. We all know that time in nature is beneficial for us, that it restores something within us. But, there is a problem.
It’s called urbanisation.
Yet, despite the challenges or inconveniences to spend time in the woods, many people still do. Nature walks are a big culture in The Netherlands. My story is an invitation if you will, to join me on an e-forest walk to look at trees in a different light, with a renewed sense of wonder!
Firstly, trees are happening.
The silent sentinels and story-keepers. Quite literally a deep rooted sense of presence! Indeed, they are no strangers to us, as they are well know to science. We understand how they photosynthesise, reproduce, and about their biology. We understand that pristine tropical forests provide over half of the world’s oxygen supply, and that they absorb carbon. So, very handy to have around. But for a moment let’s step outside this formal understanding and explore another world; a secret one. A world of wonder! One that may challenge scientific classification, which of course, is precisely what this e-walk is about.
Trees are intelligent. They are able to communicate with one another and influence the behaviour of the forest. I do accept that “intelligence” and “communication” are of course subjective relative terms, but the concept of tree behaviour is now accepted by mainstream scientists. For example, trees actually feed their young. Agreed, not quite in the sense of a mammal suckling its cub or calf, but the principle is the same. Mother trees, through their connected root systems, bypass other plants and actively steer nutrients and sugars to their saplings to ensure their health. Forest nurturing. This realisation, underpinned by science, is a huge leap forward in our understanding of inter-being.
Trees also maintain and self-regulate a highly sophisticated self defence system. Say, a tree is being attacked by an insect species. To repel the would be problem, the tree increases toxins and chemicals in its leaf or bark surface which ensures that it becomes unpalatable. And to take this chemical intelligence a step further, trees release specific toxins to repel specific predators. They know the difference between biting and sucking invaders. Some trees have evolved this technique to a point where it can identify the precise species of insect, and the precise chemical compound it should release in its defence. This is advanced chemistry is it not? But we can even take this fascinating behaviour another step further. Some trees, in defence of an insect attack, actually are able to mimic wasp pheromones, attracting wasps who in response to this, begin feeding on the insect culprits.
This type of advanced ‘manipulative and deceptive’ behaviour may be well known to our species, but it is for sure clear evidence not only of intelligence, but of a level of consciousness and cognitive behaviour.
Trees need their ‘sleep.’ There is an active change in their physiology at night, whereby branches, leaves and flowers droop, and the circumference of the main trunk shrinks a little. Tree activity drops, and some branches may move as much as a few centimetres. Its a state of rest, waiting for the sunrise to resume the daily operations of photosynthesis and transpiration.
When this occurs, something even more fascinating is happening. The water pressure within the cell tissue is rises and along with the physical shrinking and expanding rhythm, a basic pulsing or pumping action in the transpiration tissue occurs. Its a very slow pattern, perhaps once every few hours. But nonetheless equivalent to a heartbeat. A heartbeat? In a plant? Yes, why not! How else would water from the roots, fighting against gravity all the way, rise to the top of a tall tree. Physics and the law of gravity makes it unlikely that water vapour could be pumped upwards through the vascular tissue by transpiration and surface tension alone, without some pulse or supporting action.
Ahh trees!
Secondly, the smell of a forest.
The sweet and alluring smells of a forest that we know so well are actually those self defence chemicals that are released by trees.They have a complexly different impact on us as they do for a marauding caterpillar or a hungry deer. Known as phytoncides, these scents contain natural chemicals that biologically influence our body and trigger the release of pheromones. One of the most common side effects of this is the regulation of the stress hormone cortisol. Our blood pressure drops and we experience the sense of relaxation and peace. So, literally, breathing in forest air helps us calm down.
Another benefit discovered by breathing in phytoncides is the boosting of our immune system response. Its official: the health benefits of a forest walk have now been scientifically proven! Yet, while this is important information to understand, we have always intuitively known that a forest walk is therapeutic for us, and that it positively influences our moods.
Thirdly, the colour.
Green is a significant colour for us. And experiments prove that green light has a calming impact on our autonomic nervous system, which regulates our heart rate, blood pressure and digestion. Again, peer reviewed evidence to prove something that many of us have intuitively known for some time … that forest time is essential for our well-being.
The reason?
I suspect that it has got to do with our ancient history and development being rooted in wild landscapes. The evolution of our species would have occurred in lush forest conditions where food and shelter was available, making this green habitat ‘home’ for us. Human eyesight and our vision, unique in mammals, is configured to pronounce the green colour spectrum. We literally are designed to ‘see’ forests.
Perhaps the feelings of contentment, well-being and vitality that we experience today are remnants of our ancient and primeval archives, how our ancestors would have felt in forest landscapes. To experience a sense of belonging, we return ‘home’ to a forest.
Fourthly, what we can’t see.
When you look into a forest you see trees and plants, trunks branches and leaves. Dead wood. Flowers. Insects and birds perhaps, and if you are really lucky, maybe a deer. All of these are on the surface, visible to us. But consider what you can’t see. So if you invert the horizon and bring what is beneath the ground on to the surface, a world of wonder comes into view!
Can you picture a massive tangled network of roots connecting every plant in the forest. Do you notice the vast web of fungus mycelium interlacing and bridging this system, providing a communication and nutrient network in the soil. A network through which trees and plants can intentionally steer and manipulate nutrients, and connect and empathise with others.
This for me, is an important disruption of the old Darwinian theory of nature, and the competition for survival between the strongest, fastest or fittest. Trees teach us that on the quest for survival, co-operation and empathy is entirely natural. The mechanics of this unusual and mysterious symbiosis, as well as its bigger picture significance is one of the most important discoveries of our natural world. It has changed how we look at trees, forests and eco-systems.
Perhaps its true to say, it has changed how we look at life too.
Can you imagine the incredibly vibrant soil eco-system with millions of microscopic life forms, earthworms and burrowing insects, and kilometres of intertwined fungus. When you ‘see' these, then perhaps you will begin to notice the forest. For its within the soil, hidden from view and recognition, in this chaos, that primary production and vitality exists. Forest consciousness it could be said.
And lastly …
Trees are 300 million years old. The human animal is perhaps 300 000 years old. And our forestry industry is 300 years old. Get the picture?
Along with our innate intuitive intelligence recognising the value of forests, these insights are an undeniable loudspeaker. Announcing the need for an updated view on forest conservation.
Our industrialised take on indigenous forests was (is) to ensure maximum economic production of timber. Essentially to calculate the value of a forest according to how much furniture it could produce. This meant clear cutting, mono-culture and chemical interventions. The nett result of this global short sightedness is dying forest habitats and biodiversity collapse. The loss of self-maintaining and regulating eco-systems and the destruction of autonomous climate control systems.
Not to mention the intrinsic connections with the human soul.
Trees, forests and humans have been connected for some time.
While its true that the vast majority of forest habitats are rehabilitated, The Netherlands is one of the leading forest conservation cultures in Europe. This is a massive statement and victory for conservation. It speaks loudly of regeneration and reclamation. A re-transformation perhaps!
In ending our e-forest walk, I wish the following for you. An ongoing commitment to your admirable forest regeneration. Then lots of time and care to allow them to rewild and return, slowly reclaiming their life-saving ecosystems. A refrain from keeping them neat and orderly and to leave dead and dying wood in place. It is this disorder that nourishes soil and they sacred systems beneath the surface.
Then, to enjoy them.
To unplug your conversations, dialogues, conflict solving sessions and policy meetings, and take them for a walk. Sit them down beneath a tree on the ground, and feel the soil between their toes. Breathe in the green air deeply.
A smile is involuntary.
Magical things can, and will happen!
I have a little glimpse … and I invite you on a short e-forest walk.
Every year I return to The Netherlands on a conversation tour, travelling around to various events sharing inspirations and insights from the wild. About the inter-connection of all life forms on earth. As our fundamental well-being depends on the well-being of our forests, oceans, deserts, mountains, atmosphere, soil and rivers. My life explores this relationship, and, most importantly, how we can integrate it into our modern world. In other words, what we can discover in nature, and how this can guide us toward a more fruitful society.
I arrive on tour armed with Bushman artefacts, stories and glossy photographs of Africa and our wildlife. Perfect for a powerpoint presentation right! But there is so much inspiration on your doorstep. Of all the events, those ranging from formal galas, to corporate settings or to campuses, my favourite, without doubt, is an unplugged forest walk.
Its humbling out there. The forest is a leveller. Once you remove distractions, mobile phones, electronic presentations or office walls, and sitting on the forest floor, something magical happens to us. And once you remove our ego-centric notions of power or position, all that remains is a quite, green, leafy, sweet-smelling present moment!
Intrinsically, this is the space in which the human being is at his or her most connected and available. Giving and taking flows and natural dialogue comes easy. If you haven’t done so yet, try it.
Quality time outdoors is the world’s fastest growing hobby or pastime, and with good reason. We all know that time in nature is beneficial for us, that it restores something within us. But, there is a problem.
It’s called urbanisation.
Yet, despite the challenges or inconveniences to spend time in the woods, many people still do. Nature walks are a big culture in The Netherlands. My story is an invitation if you will, to join me on an e-forest walk to look at trees in a different light, with a renewed sense of wonder!
Firstly, trees are happening.
The silent sentinels and story-keepers. Quite literally a deep rooted sense of presence! Indeed, they are no strangers to us, as they are well know to science. We understand how they photosynthesise, reproduce, and about their biology. We understand that pristine tropical forests provide over half of the world’s oxygen supply, and that they absorb carbon. So, very handy to have around. But for a moment let’s step outside this formal understanding and explore another world; a secret one. A world of wonder! One that may challenge scientific classification, which of course, is precisely what this e-walk is about.
Trees are intelligent. They are able to communicate with one another and influence the behaviour of the forest. I do accept that “intelligence” and “communication” are of course subjective relative terms, but the concept of tree behaviour is now accepted by mainstream scientists. For example, trees actually feed their young. Agreed, not quite in the sense of a mammal suckling its cub or calf, but the principle is the same. Mother trees, through their connected root systems, bypass other plants and actively steer nutrients and sugars to their saplings to ensure their health. Forest nurturing. This realisation, underpinned by science, is a huge leap forward in our understanding of inter-being.
Trees also maintain and self-regulate a highly sophisticated self defence system. Say, a tree is being attacked by an insect species. To repel the would be problem, the tree increases toxins and chemicals in its leaf or bark surface which ensures that it becomes unpalatable. And to take this chemical intelligence a step further, trees release specific toxins to repel specific predators. They know the difference between biting and sucking invaders. Some trees have evolved this technique to a point where it can identify the precise species of insect, and the precise chemical compound it should release in its defence. This is advanced chemistry is it not? But we can even take this fascinating behaviour another step further. Some trees, in defence of an insect attack, actually are able to mimic wasp pheromones, attracting wasps who in response to this, begin feeding on the insect culprits.
This type of advanced ‘manipulative and deceptive’ behaviour may be well known to our species, but it is for sure clear evidence not only of intelligence, but of a level of consciousness and cognitive behaviour.
Trees need their ‘sleep.’ There is an active change in their physiology at night, whereby branches, leaves and flowers droop, and the circumference of the main trunk shrinks a little. Tree activity drops, and some branches may move as much as a few centimetres. Its a state of rest, waiting for the sunrise to resume the daily operations of photosynthesis and transpiration.
When this occurs, something even more fascinating is happening. The water pressure within the cell tissue is rises and along with the physical shrinking and expanding rhythm, a basic pulsing or pumping action in the transpiration tissue occurs. Its a very slow pattern, perhaps once every few hours. But nonetheless equivalent to a heartbeat. A heartbeat? In a plant? Yes, why not! How else would water from the roots, fighting against gravity all the way, rise to the top of a tall tree. Physics and the law of gravity makes it unlikely that water vapour could be pumped upwards through the vascular tissue by transpiration and surface tension alone, without some pulse or supporting action.
Ahh trees!
Secondly, the smell of a forest.
The sweet and alluring smells of a forest that we know so well are actually those self defence chemicals that are released by trees.They have a complexly different impact on us as they do for a marauding caterpillar or a hungry deer. Known as phytoncides, these scents contain natural chemicals that biologically influence our body and trigger the release of pheromones. One of the most common side effects of this is the regulation of the stress hormone cortisol. Our blood pressure drops and we experience the sense of relaxation and peace. So, literally, breathing in forest air helps us calm down.
Another benefit discovered by breathing in phytoncides is the boosting of our immune system response. Its official: the health benefits of a forest walk have now been scientifically proven! Yet, while this is important information to understand, we have always intuitively known that a forest walk is therapeutic for us, and that it positively influences our moods.
Thirdly, the colour.
Green is a significant colour for us. And experiments prove that green light has a calming impact on our autonomic nervous system, which regulates our heart rate, blood pressure and digestion. Again, peer reviewed evidence to prove something that many of us have intuitively known for some time … that forest time is essential for our well-being.
The reason?
I suspect that it has got to do with our ancient history and development being rooted in wild landscapes. The evolution of our species would have occurred in lush forest conditions where food and shelter was available, making this green habitat ‘home’ for us. Human eyesight and our vision, unique in mammals, is configured to pronounce the green colour spectrum. We literally are designed to ‘see’ forests.
Perhaps the feelings of contentment, well-being and vitality that we experience today are remnants of our ancient and primeval archives, how our ancestors would have felt in forest landscapes. To experience a sense of belonging, we return ‘home’ to a forest.
Fourthly, what we can’t see.
When you look into a forest you see trees and plants, trunks branches and leaves. Dead wood. Flowers. Insects and birds perhaps, and if you are really lucky, maybe a deer. All of these are on the surface, visible to us. But consider what you can’t see. So if you invert the horizon and bring what is beneath the ground on to the surface, a world of wonder comes into view!
Can you picture a massive tangled network of roots connecting every plant in the forest. Do you notice the vast web of fungus mycelium interlacing and bridging this system, providing a communication and nutrient network in the soil. A network through which trees and plants can intentionally steer and manipulate nutrients, and connect and empathise with others.
This for me, is an important disruption of the old Darwinian theory of nature, and the competition for survival between the strongest, fastest or fittest. Trees teach us that on the quest for survival, co-operation and empathy is entirely natural. The mechanics of this unusual and mysterious symbiosis, as well as its bigger picture significance is one of the most important discoveries of our natural world. It has changed how we look at trees, forests and eco-systems.
Perhaps its true to say, it has changed how we look at life too.
Can you imagine the incredibly vibrant soil eco-system with millions of microscopic life forms, earthworms and burrowing insects, and kilometres of intertwined fungus. When you ‘see' these, then perhaps you will begin to notice the forest. For its within the soil, hidden from view and recognition, in this chaos, that primary production and vitality exists. Forest consciousness it could be said.
And lastly …
Trees are 300 million years old. The human animal is perhaps 300 000 years old. And our forestry industry is 300 years old. Get the picture?
Along with our innate intuitive intelligence recognising the value of forests, these insights are an undeniable loudspeaker. Announcing the need for an updated view on forest conservation.
Our industrialised take on indigenous forests was (is) to ensure maximum economic production of timber. Essentially to calculate the value of a forest according to how much furniture it could produce. This meant clear cutting, mono-culture and chemical interventions. The nett result of this global short sightedness is dying forest habitats and biodiversity collapse. The loss of self-maintaining and regulating eco-systems and the destruction of autonomous climate control systems.
Not to mention the intrinsic connections with the human soul.
Trees, forests and humans have been connected for some time.
While its true that the vast majority of forest habitats are rehabilitated, The Netherlands is one of the leading forest conservation cultures in Europe. This is a massive statement and victory for conservation. It speaks loudly of regeneration and reclamation. A re-transformation perhaps!
In ending our e-forest walk, I wish the following for you. An ongoing commitment to your admirable forest regeneration. Then lots of time and care to allow them to rewild and return, slowly reclaiming their life-saving ecosystems. A refrain from keeping them neat and orderly and to leave dead and dying wood in place. It is this disorder that nourishes soil and they sacred systems beneath the surface.
Then, to enjoy them.
To unplug your conversations, dialogues, conflict solving sessions and policy meetings, and take them for a walk. Sit them down beneath a tree on the ground, and feel the soil between their toes. Breathe in the green air deeply.
A smile is involuntary.
Magical things can, and will happen!