as with all living things on earth trees have a unique and fascinating process of growth and development let's explore how it works it all starts with the seed trees have many methods for dispersing seeds which can range from simply dropping them on the ground using wind or even getting a helping hand from animals and insects seeds can come in many shapes and sizes some can also be hidden within pine cones or fruits others have papery wings that transport them further from the tree and so on once settled seeds often have a long period of dormancy
particularly during winter when the weather finally improves they soak up water from the warming soil and split open in a process called germination the first route starts making its way into the ground and a few days later the seed leaves emerge after a few more weeks the seedling transforms into a young tree with a true stem wood bark and leaves meanwhile the taproot spawns new roots that grow laterally along a top soil from these tiny single cell roots reach out to grab individual particles of soil absorbing the water and nutrients this grasp also improves the
soil's resistance against erosion protecting the surrounding environment roots can also sometimes grow above the ground for extra stability the leaves absorb light through a process called photosynthesis and their placement is usually designed to prevent shading each other deciduous trees shed their leaves during cold periods while evergreen trees maintain them all year trees often go through intense periods of growth followed by long periods of rest in temperate climates most of the trees annual growth can occur in just a few weeks during spring unlike human and animal bodies trees have only a few areas of active cell
reproduction these are known as mary stems and are located at the tips of young branches and around the trunk from where all growth occurs when conditions become too cold or too dry growth slows down and the tree sprouts protective waterproof buds around these zones finally when a tree is old enough to release its own seeds the cycle repeats many tree species can live for hundreds or thousands of years while they are subject to old age death usually occurs due to external stressors such as floods fires strong winds and human intervention this fascinating process is just
one of the many reasons why we love trees to learn more check out our website and subscribe to our youtube channel thanks for watching [Music]
