For centuries, forests have been viewed as silent, static backdrops to the natural world-a collection of trees rooted in place, quietly growing and responding to the environment in simple, mechanical ways. However, recent scientific breakthroughs are transforming this perception, revealing that trees are far from passive. In fact, they engage in intricate communication networks that allow them to share information, adapt collectively, and even anticipate environmental changes. One of the most astonishing discoveries in this field is that trees can “talk” to each other during solar eclipses, using bioelectrical signals to coordinate their responses.
During the total solar eclipse of October 2022, an international team of researchers observed spruce trees in the Dolomite Mountains of northern Italy exhibiting a remarkable behavior: hours before the eclipse’s shadow darkened the forest, older trees began sending electrical pulses that appeared to “warn” younger trees of the impending celestial event. This phenomenon suggests that trees possess a form of environmental memory and awareness, enabling them to prepare for sudden changes in light and temperature in a coordinated fashion.
This discovery not only challenges the traditional view of plants as passive organisms but also evokes imagery from literature and mythology-most notably the Ents from J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, ancient tree-like beings capable of conscious thought and communication. While the trees’ signals are bioelectrical rather than verbal, the parallels highlight the profound complexity and interconnectedness of forest ecosystems.
By uncovering this hidden layer of communication, scientists are opening new doors to understanding how forests function as living communities. This knowledge has far-reaching implications for ecology, conservation, and even technological innovation inspired by nature’s own communication systems.
What Happens When Trees “Talk” During a Solar Eclipse?
During the total solar eclipse of October 2022, an international team of scientists equipped spruce trees in the Dolomites with advanced CyberTree sensors. These rugged, low-power devices recorded the trees’ bioelectrical signals in real time, capturing subtle electrical activity within the trees’ vascular systems.
The data showed that trees began modifying their internal electrical patterns hours before the eclipse began, indicating an anticipatory response rather than a simple reaction to changes in light or temperature. This coordinated bioelectrical activity suggests that trees are capable of sensing upcoming environmental events and communicating this information across the forest.
Older Trees as Forest Elders: The Role of Environmental Memory
One of the most remarkable findings was that older trees initiated these bioelectrical signals earlier and more strongly than younger trees. These mature trees exhibited shifts in signal complexity and entropy – markers of active internal processes – well before the Moon’s shadow crossed the canopy.
Scientists believe that older trees possess a form of environmental memory, accumulated over decades, allowing them to “warn” younger trees about impending changes. This intergenerational communication helps the entire forest prepare for sudden environmental shifts, reducing stress and potential damage.
How Do Trees Communicate? The Science Behind Bioelectrical Signaling
Trees generate bioelectrical signals through the movement of ions across cell membranes within their xylem and phloem tissues. These electrical impulses form an “electrome,” a complex network of signals that regulate physiological processes and enable communication.
During the eclipse, researchers observed a synchronized pattern of electrical rhythms across multiple trees, including even tree stumps. This synchronization intensified during the eclipse and stabilized into a new, more ordered state afterward.
Interestingly, the researchers suggest that this coordination may involve quantum field interactions, a concept from physics that describes entanglement – like connections between living systems. This means trees might be linked not only biologically but also physically and energetically, allowing them to share information without direct physical contact.
Why This Discovery Matters for Forest Conservation and Ecology
This research, published in Royal Society Open Science, provides new insights into how forests function as integrated communities rather than isolated individuals. The findings emphasize the crucial role of older trees as ecological sentinels that help maintain forest health and resilience.
Preserving mature forests is essential for sustaining these natural communication networks, which support adaptation to environmental stressors such as climate change. Understanding tree bioelectrical signaling could also inspire innovative forest management strategies that enhance ecosystem stability.
Read more: Astronomers Tuned Into a Nearby Star’s “Music” and Made a Shocking Discovery
The Broader Implications: Rethinking Plant Intelligence and Ecosystem Dynamics
The idea that trees “talk” through bioelectrical signals during solar eclipses invites a fresh perspective on plant intelligence. Trees are active participants in their ecosystems, capable of memory, communication, and collective adaptation.
This discovery aligns with growing research on the “wood wide web,” the underground fungal networks that connect trees and facilitate nutrient and information exchange. Together, these insights reveal forests as vibrant, living systems with complex communication pathways.
How Researchers Measured Tree Communication During the Eclipse
Scientists used pairs of differential electrodes inserted into the trunks and roots of spruce trees to measure electrical potentials with high precision. These electrodes tracked fluctuations in electrical signals along the vascular system, allowing researchers to analyze synchronization and complexity over time.
The study’s interdisciplinary team combined expertise in plant biology, physics, and ecology to interpret the data, revealing that the eclipse triggered a forest-wide shift in bioelectrical activity.
What’s Next? Future Research and Potential Applications
Co-lead researcher Professor Alessandro Chiolerio is leading efforts to expand this research, with proposals to the European Innovation Council aiming to deepen understanding of quantum biological interactions in forests.
Future studies may explore how bioelectrical communication influences forest responses to other environmental events, such as droughts or pest outbreaks. Additionally, insights from tree signaling could inform sustainable technologies, including bio-inspired sensor networks for environmental monitoring.
Read more: Physicists Finally Catch ‘Free-Range’ Atoms in Action—Confirming A 100-Year-Old Quantum Theory
Conclusion: A New Chapter in Understanding Forest Life
The discovery that trees communicate through synchronized bioelectrical signals during solar eclipses marks a profound shift in how we understand forest ecosystems and plant behavior. Far from being isolated, passive organisms, trees emerge as active, interconnected members of a living community that can anticipate and adapt to environmental changes collectively. This research reveals a new dimension of forest life, where communication and memory are not solely the domain of animals but are deeply embedded in plant networks as well.
The study’s findings show that older trees play a pivotal role as ecological sentinels, initiating early bioelectrical signals that ripple through the forest to prepare younger trees for sudden disturbances such as the eclipse. This intergenerational communication suggests that trees possess a form of environmental memory, accumulated over decades, which enhances the resilience of the entire forest. Such memory allows the forest to act as a unified organism, coordinating physiological responses in a way that optimizes survival under shifting conditions.
Moreover, the synchronization of electrical activity across multiple trees-even including damaged or partially dead stumps-indicates that the forest’s communication network extends beyond individual organisms to encompass the entire ecosystem. This collective behavior resembles an orchestra playing in harmony, where each tree’s bioelectrical rhythms phase-lock with others to create a cohesive response to external stimuli.
Intriguingly, the researchers propose that this communication may involve quantum biological phenomena such as phase synchronization or entanglement, enabling trees to share information without direct physical exchange of matter like water or nutrients. This quantum perspective offers a revolutionary framework for understanding biological interconnectedness, suggesting that forests are linked not only biologically but also energetically and physically at a fundamental level.
