What are Trees? and Why are They Important? - Kinga Yarphel
Trees the plants which give us air, so we can breathe, but have you ever wondered what a tree really is? You might think that its just a long wooden structure which has leaves at the top. Its not just that, its actually more than that. In Bhutan we consider trees very sacred; in most of our culture we worship trees. Cypress Bhutan’s national tree got its name “The National Tree” when an important lama, used one of its branches as a walking sticks.
Bhutan even though it’s a small country, has more percentage of trees than most of the country in the world. Hence making it the only carbon negative country in the world, carbon negative means, the trees absorb more carbon dioxide than, the country produces carbon dioxide. Trees can live up to thousand of years, the oldest tree ever discovered is approximately 5000 years old. The roots of the tree are usually underground. However, this is not always true. The roots of the mangrove tree are often under water.
A single tree has many roots. The roots carry nutrients and water from the ground through the trunk and branches to the leaves of the tree. They can also breath in air. Sometimes, roots are specialized into aerial roots, which can also provide support, as is the case with the banyan tree.
The trunk is the main body of the tree. The trunk is covered with bark which protects it from damage. Branches grow from the trunk. They spread out so that the leaves can get more sunlight. The leaves of the tree are green most of the time, but they can come in many colors, shapes and sizes. The leaves take in sunlight and use water and food from the roots to make the tree grow, and to reproduce.
Trees and shrubs take in water and carbon dioxide and give out oxygen with sunlight to form sugars. This is the opposite of what animals do in respiration. Plants also do some respiration using oxygen the way animals do. They need oxygen and carbon dioxide to live. Trees are renewable resources because, if cut down, other trees can grow in their place.
As tree grows, it may produce growth rings as new wood is laid down around the old wood. In area with seasonal climate, wood produced at different times of the year may alternate light and dark rings. In temperature climates, and tropical climates with a single wet-dry season alternation, the growth rings are annual, each pair of light and dark rings being one year of growth. In area with two wet and dry season each yeah there may be two parts of light and dark rings Each year, and in some (mainly semi-desert regions with irregular rainfall), there may be a new growth ring with each rainfall.
Author:
Kinga Yarphel
15 years old
Druk School
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