How Pine Trees Support One Another Beneath the Forest Floor

Pine trees often appear solitary. Tall, straight, and quiet, they seem to stand on their own, rooted firmly in the earth. In the pine forests of Dibbeen, Ajloun, and the hills near Jerash, this impression is easy to believe. The trees rise high, spaced apart, each one holding its own silence.

But beneath the surface, a very different story unfolds.

Below the forest floor, pine trees are deeply connected. Their roots intertwine and interact through vast underground networks formed with fungi, often referred to as the “wood wide web.” Through these networks, trees exchange nutrients, water, and chemical signals. Stronger trees support weaker ones. Older trees nourish younger saplings. When one tree is stressed, others respond.

This hidden system is not accidental. It is how pine forests survive harsh conditions: drought, cold, rocky soil. In places like Dibbeen Forest Reserve, where the land can be unforgiving, cooperation becomes essential. Rather than competing aggressively, the trees rely on one another. Survival, here, is collective.

What’s striking is that none of this is visible from above. To the untrained eye, the forest looks still, quiet, and separate. But life below is active, responsive, and deeply relational. The forest is constantly communicating without sound, without display.

Spending time among Jordan’s pine trees invites a similar awareness. Much of what sustains us support, resilience, connection: happens quietly and without recognition. The forest doesn’t announce its systems. It simply lives by them.

In moments of stillness, surrounded by pines, it becomes easier to sense this invisible support. To remember that strength does not always mean standing alone. Sometimes, it means being part of something larger... rooted, connected, and unseen.