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The Way Trees Work – How to Help
How trees live and grow is a fascinating subject that some people pursue for a lifetime. But by knowing even a few basics, it is possible to better understand why some of the things we do to trees help their growth while others hinder it.
Not long ago, a consulting forester wrote to the Arbor Day Foundation urging that an issue of Tree City USA Bulletin be devoted to the basics of tree growth.
The forester wrote, “It continually surprises me just how little most people know about how a tree grows and functions.”
This bulletin is in response to that need. It is an attempt at the bewildering task of condensing into eight pages material that easily fills scores of textbooks and scientific journals. But as impossible as that may be, it is important to know some basic functions, as the forester suggests. To many people, this is fundamental knowledge, but to others it is completely foreign. Perhaps more importantly, in the pages that follow is an attempt to show how the actions and practices of humans are related to the needs of the tree.
In This Bulletin
Here’s what’s inside:
- Roots – features and functions of the underground support system for trees
- Trunk and Branches – the transportation center of any tree
- Leaves – a breakdown of the structure and their ability to produce food for the tree
- Trees in the Urban Forest – viewing trees as an important layer within a larger community ecosystem