Trees are some of the most incredible and important organisms on Earth. They provide us with oxygen, food, shade, and beautiful scenery. We’re exploring the top 10 facts about trees that will help you better understand their importance and the many ways they make our planet a better place. Let’s get started and explore the fascinating world of trees!
1. You can count the tree rings to find out how old it is!
Did you know that you can see how old a tree is by counting it’s rings?
Trees have growth rings inside their trunk.
If you count each ring – that is how many years it has been alive for!
2. The roots are important and help the tree to stay alive.
Trees have roots which are mostly underground but can sometimes be seen on top of the ground.
They help the tree stay upright.
They also provide water and nutrients to keep the tree alive.
3. Branches are there to spread the leaves out.
Branches are there to spread the leaves out as far as they can.
This is so the leaves can get the most sunlight possible.
The more sunlight they get – the healthier the tree will be!
Find out how trees can turn into energy…
4. The leaves take in all the sunlight!
As we said above, the leaves absorb the sunlight.
This is needed for photosynthesis.
Photosynthesis is when a plant takes carbon dioxide, water and sunlight and turns them into oxygen and sugars.
This keeps the tree healthy and alive.
5. Tree trunks are made from wood.
If you’ve ever wondered where wood comes from.. it’s from trees!
Trees are very useful to us and are used for lots of things such as building houses, boats, furniture and even the paper you use at school.
6. There are over 60,000 species of trees.
There are thousands of different tree species.
Some countries have more than others.
Why don’t you go to the park and see how many you can spot?
Some of the trees in the UK are the Oak, White Willow and Silver Birch.
7. Brazil has the most species of tree.
Brazil has the most species of tree in their country.
They have 5,776 tree species there.
That’s lots compared to the UK where there is only 32 species!
8. Trees can live for thousands of years.
Some of us find it hard to keep a plant alive for longer than a month.
However some trees can last for thousands of years!
Some do have a shorter lifespan though, such as the palm tree which often lives to around 80 years old.
9. The California Redwood is the tallest tree on Earth.
The California Redwood is the tallest tree species on Earth.
They usually grow to over 90 metres.
However, the Hyperion tree has been seen to grow to around 115 metres.
That’s taller than St Paul’s Cathedral!
10. Trees have been on Earth for 370 million years!
Trees have been on Earth for millions of years.
Scientists believe this because of the tree fossils that have been found.
Find out more…
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