The Tree:
Earths oldest living guardian. The world’s oldest tree has recently been discovered in Sweden, It is a tenaciuos spruce with a root system 9550 years old. Its estimated that there are 400 billion trees on earth now, thats 61 per person. We are destroying the world’s precious ancient forest at an unprecedented rate. Less than 10 percent of the planet’s land area remains as intact forest landscapes. Only now we are realising the importance of replenishment. Don’t look on trees as a commodity, but as an endangered species.
Benefits:
Trees improve water quality by slowing and filtering rain water, as well as protecting aquifers and watersheds. The average tree will drink approximately 2000 litres of water every year by cooling the air and ground around them, the shade from trees helps to cool the earths temperature.Trees renew our air supply by absorbing carbon dioxide and producing oxygen. Trees provide shelter and a home for wildlife. It takes approximately 2 tonnes of timber to make 1 tonne of paper. One tonne of recycled paper saves approximately 15 trees and their habitat. One tree removes 3/4 of a tonne of CO2 over its lifetime.
Advantages:
One car can produce upto four tons of pollutants a year – but over time two mature trees will remove it.A single mature beech tree can produce enough oxygen for 10 people in a year. Over one given year; one hectare of mature woodland will absorb the carbon emissions of 100 average family cars.
History of Tree:
An oak spend 300 years growing, 300 years resting and 300 years declining gracefully. Britain has the largest population of ‘ancient’ trees in Europe. Britain’s oldest tree is probably the Fortingall Yew in Tayside, which is believed to be over 3000 years old. The world’s tallest tree is a Coast Redwood in California at 360ft. The world’s oldest trees are Bristlecone pines in the USA, with confirmed ages upto 4600 years.