Why Are Trees Important For The Planet?

Trees are what make our beautiful planet earth a livable planet. The role of the forest's ecosystem is to procreate the species, serve as food for numerous insects, and to provide fruit and nuts as sustenance to many animals. Humans as well. Without trees, we wouldn't have crunchy apples, or delicious walnuts that go into fudge, or maple syrup to put on our pancakes.

Have you ever walked in a forest with towering trees, and crunchy layers of brown leaves under your feet? In the forests, the oaks, hickories, maples and other trees drop their leaves every year. These dropped leaves add to the richness of the soil, and support the many plants and wildflowers that grow there.

As the leaves decompose, they support the rich soil ecosystem that is loaded with bacteria, fungi, worms, mites and insects. Rodents, birds and deer eat the acorns and mushrooms and berries that grow in that rich soil system. In turn, their droppings feed the roots of the trees. Besides that, the dead leaves and other natural litter on the forests floor, along with dead tree trunks, provide cover for hundreds of creatures. This is called the biodiversity of forests.

Trees provide homes for wildlife, and they help clean the air and purify our water. They collect and filter rainwater that becomes groundwater. The decomposing leaves, bark and tree trunks in the forest create a porous soil. This porous soil acts as a huge sponge, absorbing water and purifying it as it seeps into the ground. And the decomposed leaves, branches, and tree trunks then become a part of and further enrich the soil.

Through their growth, transpiration, and death, trees transfer minerals and nutrients from air, water and soil. Trees also stabilize the soil and keep it from eroding. And trees help prevent droughts by maintaining steady stream flows into drier seasons. However, scientists tell us, the Global benefits of forests are even more important. Many of the species on our planet survive primarily in forests. In fact, one half of all forms of life on the planet, live in forests. A forests ecosystem is a critical medium for evolution. Without forests, much of life on earth would be unable to adapt and evolve to new forms.

Trees, of course, generate vast amounts of oxygen. Did you know that the average tree releases about 13 pounds of oxygen a year? This is enough oxygen to meet the breathing needs of a family of four! When we breathe, our lungs take in oxygen and release carbon dioxide. Trees and other plants do just the opposite.

An average tree absorbs about 26 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. This 26 pounds of carbon dioxide equals the amount emitted by one car traveling 11,300 miles! So trees and other plants keep the earth's carbon levels in balance. This is critically important because carbon build-up in the atmosphere is the major contributor to global warming. The main cause of global warming is that the gasoline and other fossil fuels we burn add more carbon dioxide to the atmosphere than the trees and oceans can absorb. This means that the more trees there are, the more carbon dioxide is absorbed, and the less global warming takes place.

Trees also drive the Hydrological Cycle by absorbing vast amounts of water through their roots and leaves. They then "sweat" the moisture back into the atmosphere. This "sweat" produces clouds which produce rain. Trees also "seed" existing clouds with drop-producing compounds. Trees are what make our climate on earth a livable one.

Besides being a food source, with their nuts and fruits, trees are also an energy source. Many people around the world still use wood as their primary source of heat, while many others use it to enjoy their fireplaces. Pencils, paper, furniture, railroad ties, lumber to build a fort with, chemicals, garden mulch and even medicines are made from trees.

Without trees, the great horned owl wouldn't have a place to nest and raise her young in, there wouldn't be shade to escape the hot sun from, there wouldn't be challenging limbs to climb. Trees are what make our planet a living, beautiful world!