How Trees Work
Other trees have more shallow root systems that lie closer to the surface of the ground.
How trees work. Most of a tree trunk is dead tissue and serves only to support the weight of the tree crown. Trees use photosynthesis to convert nutrients into sugars for the tree to use. A tree s roots are long underground branches that spread out to help anchor the tree and to absorb water and nutrients from the soil. This process creates food for the tree.
Trees tend to be long lived some reaching several thousand years old. Trees have been in existence for 370 million years. A tree s trunk is critical for limb support and root to leaf nutrient and moisture transport. Certified arborist wes hopper explains the basics of how trees work.
The outside layers of the tree trunk are the only living portion. A tree typically has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground by the trunk. Trees absorb carbon dioxide as they grow and the carbon that they store in their wood helps slow the rate of global warming. A tree s diameter growth is done via cell divisions in the cambium layer of the bark.
It is estimated that there are some three trillion mature trees in the world. They reduce wind speeds and cool the air as they lose moisture and reflect heat upwards from their leaves. Wes also explains how the vascular system in the. A tree is a tall plant with woody tissue.
Some trees have long taproots that reach straight down for 15 feet 4 5 m or more.