Tree NIKIN

The Tree - a masterpiece of nature

The last article was already about Tree and the devastating consequences of its disappearance. The following text will deal once again with the topic "Tree" - would be a pity to dedicate only one report to it. This time, however, we will leave out the dark sides of deforestation and focus on exciting, interesting and astonishing facts.

The last article was already about Tree and the devastating consequences of its disappearance. The following text will once again deal with the topic "Tree" - it would be a pity to dedicate only one report to it. This time, however, we will leave out the dark sides of deforestation and focus on exciting, interesting and astonishing facts about the Tree. Let's go!


Switzerland as a country of trees

The fact that Switzerland offers a home to numerous tree species is noticeable even if you have no idea at all about trees. Everywhere there is a place for them and thus the possibility to literally take root - be it along a street somewhere in a city or in our own garden - trees belong to us. Depending on their location, they have a completely different meaning. Thus, Tree on the street gives it much more charm. The Tree in the garden against it offers possibly the cat a refuge or serves as desired fruit supplier. Regardless of where and to what extent they occur: Trees have always been a part of our landscape and our culture.

In the following, "WaldSchweiz" offers you some exciting facts about our trees:

  1. One third of the country's surface is covered with forest. Approximately 535 million trees adorn it.
  2. On the pedestal of the most common trees are the spruce, the fir and the beech.
  3. The average age of a Tree tree is 100 years, but the oldest trees actually live to be 1,500 years old!
  4. The largest Tree in Switzerland is the Douglas fir, which comes from North America and is 61 meters high. You can admire it in Madiswil (BE).
  5. If you are one of those who can't open your eyes because of annoying hay fever, then stay away from the aspen tree! It produces up to 500 million pollen in spring. Nasty!
  6. About 5 millionm3 of wood are harvested per year. Half of this is sold as "trunk wood" and one third is used as "energy wood". In addition, 150,000 Christmas trees are harvested each year (which are then usually disposed of again after a few days). How about renting a Christmas tree in a pot instead? E.g. at baumfreunde.ch!
  7. About 45% of the forest provides valuable protection, e.g. from avalanches or rockfall.
  8. Our forest is considered to store about 150 million tonnes of carbon!
  9. Do you heat your flat with oil? Why don't you switch to wood? You can save more than 3 kg ofCO2per litre.

 

Structure of a tree

Trees are considered to be very robust and can withstand quite a lot (this may also explain their great age). But how do they manage this? To find out, the following facts about the structure of a tree will certainly fascinate you. Have fun!

  1. The Tree belongs to the woody plants. Here, the trunk serves as the body, whereby this consists of numerous layers, all of which fulfill a specific function.
  2. The roots are mainly underground. They provide support for the Tree , absorb nutrients and water. In addition, they act as a storage organ for the starch stored during photosynthesis.
  3. Anyone who has ever marvelled at the cross-section of a tree trunk has certainly noticed that it consists of numerous annual rings. These document the age as well as the fateful years of a tree. Wide rings emerge, for example, when there is sufficient rainfall. Thin rings, on the other hand, form due to drought or pest infestation.
  4. In spring, nature comes back to life after its winter sleep. So do the buds of the leaves that will decorate the branches of the tree. However, the leaves or needles serve their purpose not only purely visually, because with the help of photosynthesis, the sugar and starch important for the Tree is produced.
  5. The adaptability of the Tree is demonstrated by its ability to find ways to resist climate change. Increased CO2 in the air leads to increased water use efficiency by regulating the stomata in the pores of the leaves to maximize the uptake of carbon while minimizing the loss of water. According to the WSL research institute, this will not affect the amount of greenhouse gas in the atmosphere, but it does show that nature does not simply accept climate change.

 

Benefit for the environment

Like everything that nature produces specifically, the Tree is also a small - or in its case rather large - masterpiece. It is designed in such a way that it can adapt perfectly to its environment and thus persist for a very long time without further ado. As if this were not already enough to become aware again how valuable our nature is, the Tree brings also for the environment- and thus finally also for us- benefits. At the latest after reading through the following facts, the Tree should be recognized as a true miracle of nature.

  1. The Tree as an efficient CO2 store. Trees remove the greenhouse gasCO2 from the atmosphere for growth reasons and thus make an important contribution to climate protection. On average, a single Tree binds about 10 kg ofCO2 per year. A huge achievement!
  2. The Tree as part of the water cycle. Trees are responsible for evapotranspiration, i.e. water evaporating and causing precipitation elsewhere through cloud formation. In this process, water is absorbed by the roots or in the form of raindrops and released again.
  3. The Tree as the lungs of the city. Trees not only filter the air, but also emit vital oxygen. A single Tree can absorb up to 5 kg of air pollutants and produce 130 kg of oxygen in the same period.
  4. The Tree as part of the forest makes an important contribution to soil storage by generating buffer capacities that are available when it rains, thus protecting against erosion.


Although the Tree occupies a large part of our land area, its existence should not be taken for granted. Trees make up an important part of our environment by bringing many useful properties. However, in order to not only draw from their benefits, I see it as our duty to protect the Tree as much as possible. After all, in the end, we all benefit from it.

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1 comment

Even for a not so enthusiastic nature person, after this article I have to realise how wonderful our mother nature is and how much worth knowing there is still to explore in my life.

Great work done here as well as captivating articles that make you think a lot for a more sustainable life! next so!

Katarina Barnjak

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