Trees are among the most amazing and wonderful types of life on our planet. Not only do they provide essential air filtering, regeneration and circulation but they have many other uses, too. They look impressive, they’re pretty and beautiful, they can live many hundreds or even thousands of years, they provide food for thousands of animals, we use them for fuel and many have medicinal properties.
Trees absorb carbon dioxide (CO2), the primary cause of global warming, and release oxygen (O2) which all life needs to survive. They are an important part of the ecosystem, not only because of this, but because their roots also help prevent soil erosion and they provide shelter for the eco system beneath them.
The oldest trees tend to be cedars and firs. It’s believed that some may be over 5,000 years old although most tree ages are guesstimates. The oldest know tree is a bristlecone pine which is believed to be around 4850 years old.
Some trees, however, have short lives – roughly the same as us – and they include alder, willow, dogwood and cotton.
A Tree By Any Other Name
There are probably over 100,000 species of tree which account for around one quarter of all plant species. The majority live in tropical areas and many have not yet been categories so we still have much to learn about them
We popularly categorise them in any number of ways from their appearance, flowers and properties to the type of wood they’re made off. Common categories include deciduous and evergreen. Deciduous trees lose their leaves in the fall while evergreen trees retain at least some of their leaves all year round.
Gymnosperm refers to trees that are softwoods or evergreens. Conifers are gymnosperms that produce cones and include fir, cypress, spruce and pine.
Hardwoods are not necessarily all made from hard wood. A hardwood tree has broad leaves and produces a nut or fruit and most are deciduous. Some hardwood trees have softer wood than softwood trees. Common hardwoods include oak, maple, walnut and cherry.
Tree Care
In their natural habitat, trees – with a little help from Mother Nature – manage to survive very well. However, in a cultivated environment, trees usually need some form of management – for their benefit as well as ours! Forestry is devoted to the overall management of trees in both urban and forest environments. It’s usually operated on a large scale.
Individual trees in gardens and estates also need managing and experienced tree surgeons -also known as arborists or arboriculturalists – work to manage and maintain the health and safety of individual trees. Their work is similar to but distinct from foresters.
If you have trees on your property, you need the services of a tree surgeon to ensure everyone’s safety and the health of the individual trees.
People plant trees in their garden for many reasons. They can provide shade, privacy, decoration and mark boundaries.
Trees are wonderful plants with many uses. If you plant them in your garden, tend them carefully and they will give you years of pleasure and enjoyment. The carbon dioxide they absorb and the oxygen they produce will also contribute towards building a healthy planet!
