Come Explore Trees With Us
Without trees our world would not exists as we know it. Trees are one of the core building blocks for sustaining life on earth. Besides providing food, shelter and oxygen, they filter the very air we breathe. Come explore the many benefits of trees and why we have to take better care of them.
Why planting a tree can benefit your world
In botany, a tree is defined as a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, supporting branches and leaves. Although “tree” is a term of common use, there is no universally recognized precise definition of what a tree is, either botanically or in common language.
Did you know trees and humans have a lot in common? Every living thing on Earth is made up of four basic elements? Carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen. Those four elements make up 95% of our bodies, and did you also know they make up most of a tree. Yes, it’s roots, trunk, branches, and leaves. We share the same building blocks.
While we get most of our carbon from food, trees breathe it in (just like we breathe in oxygen). However, when a tree breathes, it inhales carbon dioxide and exhales oxygen — the exact opposite of us. As a tree matures, it can consume 48 lbs. of carbon dioxide per year (among other greenhouse gases like ozone), and release enough oxygen for you to breathe for 2 years!
When a tree takes in carbon dioxide, it not only filters the air but it returns oxygen to the atmosphere thereby reducing greenhouse gases and global warming.
Trees filter the air
The Amazon, considered Earth’s lung and each tree in our communities are considered a part of that lung, play an important role in our ecosystem. Unfortunately, deforestation causes high levels of carbon dioxide in the air, which traps in heat. Trees inhale carbon dioxide and toxic air and exhale clean oxygen for us to breathe, acting as the earth’s natural respiratory system. In urban environments they absorb pollutant gases like nitrogen oxides, ozone, and carbon monoxide whereas in nature they sweep up particles of dust or smoke caused by human activity such as deforestation or fossil fuel combustion. We need trees more than ever before for their ability to remove pollutants from the environment is critical since increased levels of CO2 due largely from a result of deforestation which in turn causes climate change, thereby trapping in heat- causing global warming. It really is a domino effect on our ecosystem.
Trees provide shelter
Trees are a vital component of the planet’s ecosystem, and their importance cannot be overstated. A single tree can be home to hundreds of species of insect, fungi, moss, mammals, and plants. Many animals, such as birds, squirrels, raccoons and a variety of insects, spend much of their lives in trees. Depending on the kind of food and shelter they need, different forest animals require different types of habitat. Without trees, forest creatures would have no place to call home.
Everyday products from trees
While we probably can’t think of anyone who lives in a tree, many of us live in houses made of wood from trees. Wood tables, furniture and many other items inside our homes are also made from trees.
Wood is not the only product that comes from trees. Pretty much every part of a tree is used to make some useful product. Ground up wood is used to make paper for school books, magazines, newspapers, wrappers, and cereal boxes. Sap, the liquid that flows in trees, is used to make syrup, chewing gum, crayons, paint, and soap. Dyes and medicines are made from the bark, while leaves and roots provide oils and medicines. Not to mention trimming or removing dead trees provides employment for tree service companies. Tree service companies give chopped up wood as mulch or firewood.