Hi! I'm not quite sure what you mean by the first part, but let's talk about plant bioacoustics

Plant bioacoustics is the creation of sound waves by plants. Plants have been documented to both create and respond to sound waves. If you were to isolate a plant and grow it in a sound-insulated box, the plant would still be able to grow. The clicking sounds it makes from root growth would not be heard by anything, however, and the plant would not be able to respond to anything other than what we give it since we've sealed it from other plants.

As for the second question, we'll start with the concept of animacy.

Animacy is most commonly a feature of language expressing how alive or sentient a noun is. We cannot say for sure if plants are sentient, but they are certainly alive under scientific definition: as long as plants are in a state where their organs are functioning, they're considered alive. One ability they have is sensing their environment through sound, hence the whole plant bioacoustics thing. So if a tree fell in a forest, other nearby plants would be able to feel the crash's vibrations. Merriam-Webster defines "hearing" as "the process, function, or power of perceiving sound." Since it doesn't specify how it must happen, then certainly a tree that fell in a forest would make a sound and be heard by its fellow plants.

Plants grow roots into the soil. This happens slowly enough that it doesn't make much, if any, sound. A tree that falls in the forest will create vibrations that you would hear as sound if you were there to hear it, but even if there is nobody there to hear it, the vibrations still exist.

The classic Zen question about the tree falling in the forest and asking whether it makes a sound is a philosophical or religious question about whether the universe exists independent of anybody able to observe it. The scientific method relies on the ability to make predictions based on theory, which means that the universe has to exist in order for scientific theories to describe it.

The fact that the scientific method works as a means of learning strongly suggests that the universe does indeed exist independently of any observers.

Scientifically, the answer would be yes. Just because there is no one in the forest to hear the sound does not mean that the sound did not take place. If once places a tape recorder in the forest, then later plays the recording after a tree fell, then we know that the sound occurred. Plants talk to each other.

Animacy.

Plant bioacoustics.

A tree that fell in a forest would make a sound.

Roots will grow into the place that's best for them. Water is important, for example. Most sounds aren't likely to affect root growth.

Ethical Conundrums.