Clever Trees
There's nothing better than a walk in the countryside for lifting our spirits. Connecting with nature has been proven to help our mental health.
没有什么能比在郊外散步更能振奋我们的精气神了。事实证明，与大自然互动有助于我们的心理健康。
For some, the best tonic is to stroll through a forest, but as we admire the trees that surround us, it's worth knowing these trees are doing more than just being nice things to look at.
对一些人来说，振奋精神最好的刺激就是能在森林徜徉漫步。当我们欣赏周围的树木时，我们应该知道，这些树木的作用不仅仅是外形美观，可供人欣赏。
We are already aware of the healing properties of trees –they produce oxygen and clean the air we breathe by absorbing about a quarter of all human-caused carbon dioxide emissions.
我们已经意识到树木对地球的治愈功效——可产生氧气，还可吸收人类排放的约四分之一的二氧化碳，净化我们呼吸的空气。
But there's more to these impressive forms of vegetation than we might think. Researchers have discovered evidence that proves they are actually intelligent.
这些令人印象深刻的植被，其实比我们想象的更加厉害。研究人员发现，有证据证明，这些植被实际上是有智慧的。
It's thought that trees talk and share resources right under our feet, using a fungal network. Under the ground are tree roots, and mingling among them, along with bacteria, are thousands of superfine threads of fungi, known as hyphae. And research has shown that they are all interconnected.
在我们脚下，树木可以通过真菌网络进行交流和资源共享。地面下是树根，夹杂数千条超细的真菌线（被称为菌丝）和细菌。研究表明，这些物质都可相互依附，互相联系。
They can help each other by sharing nutrients, and they can even warn of approaching threats. Scientists say it's like the trees are talking to one another.
它们可养分互享，互帮互助，甚至可以警告威胁的到来。科学家说树木就像可以彼此对话一般。
Ecologist Suzanne Simard has called this network the Wood Wide Web. She discovered that parent trees use this network to help their offspring. She also found that trees are smart enough to change their behaviour and have managed to adapt and survive in a changing environment.
生态学家苏珊娜·西玛德把这个网络称为“树广网“。她发现，母树可以利用这个网络来帮助后代。她还发现，树木非常聪明，能够改变自身行为，适应不断变化的环境，成功生存下来。
So it seems trees really are the stars of our natural world, and with around three trillion of them on our planet, it's time to show them some respect if we want them to flourish.
这样看来，树木真的是我们自然界的明星。我们的地球上大约有三万亿棵树木，如果想让它们茁壮成长，是时候尊重这些树木了。
2026年1月21日于经典龙苑
