Why are Living Trees So Important?

When I was researching information for my article about Global Warming, much interesting information about trees came across, and I believe it is good to share it.

So, Why are living trees so important? Trees are of critical importance to humans, playing a major role in producing the oxygen we breathe and reducing the Greenhouse effect by removing carbon dioxide from the air which reduces Global Warming. Trees also contribute to the environment, improving air quality, conserving water, preserving soil, and supporting wildlife. 

Additionally, ground up wood is used to make paper for magazines, newspapers, candy wrappers, and cereal boxes. Sap, the liquid that flows in trees, is used to make maple syrup, chewing gum, crayons, paint, and soap. Trees are also for construction materials, making furniture and crafting tools.

 Reasons Why Living Trees Are Valuable And Important

• Trees Produce Oxygen and Act as a Filter.

A mature leafy tree produces as much oxygen in a season as 10 people inhale in a year. A rough estimate using data from the United States Forest Service (FIA) we can say that there are approximately three mature leafy trees for every person in the United States.

The forest also acts as a giant filter that cleans the air we breathe by intercepting airborne particles, reducing heat, and absorbing pollutants like carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide.

• They Clean The Soil

Trees can either store harmful pollutants or change them into less harmful forms. Trees filter sewage and farm chemicals, reduce the effects of animal wastes, and clean water runoff into streams.

• Trees Slow Storm Water Runoff

Flash flooding can be reduced by a forest or by planting trees. Underground water-holding aquifers are recharged with the slowing down of water runoff.

• Provide Shade and Cooling

Shade resulting is what a tree is best known for. Shade from trees reduces the need for air conditioning in summer. In winter, trees break the force of winter winds, lowering heating costs.

• Trees Provide Habitat for Wildlife It is only natural that wherever trees are planted, wildlife and other plants are sure to follow. Trees provide shelter and food for a variety of birds and small animals, such as squirrels and beavers. Enhancing growth diversity, trees create an environment that allows the growth of plants that otherwise would not be there.Flowers, fruits, leaves, buds and woody parts of trees are used by many different species. Bacteria and fungi contained in tree parts cause decay which makes nesting easier for some birds and increases soil fertility and structure for furrowing by other land animals.

  Trees also provide shade, reduce water and air temperatures and contribute to the overall health of aquatic ecosystems by providing habitat, shelter, and food for aquatic species such as turtles, otters, beavers, and fish.

7 Everyday Items Made From Trees

1. Wine Corks – The cork used to create wine stoppers, only comes from the cork oak. These trees live for up to 250 years and at age 25 and every 10 years thereafter, they are stripped for their cork to help create the stoppers used in wine bottles around the world.
2. Natural Aspirin and Acne Medications – Willow bark, also known as “nature’s aspirin” contains a precursor to aspirin, which provides the same benefits like the tablet. Willow bark extract can also be found in cosmetics and personal care products due to its astringent, anti-inflammatory and soothing properties.
3. Sponges – Many households sponges are made from cellulose wood fibers.
4. Chewing Gum – Chewing gum, in one form or another has been around for thousands of years. Many of today’s popular gum brands have transitioned to using synthetic sap substitutes, but much of them got its start from the chicle sap found in sapodilla trees.
5. Latex Rubber Gloves – Both, medical and household rubber gloves are made from natural latex, a product that comes from the rubber tree. Latex is produced from the white and cloudy fluid found under the bark. These trees can be tapped for up to 30 years to create latex.
6. Car Wax – Carnauba wax is found on the leaves of a type of palm tree that only grows in Brazil. The wax of many popular car wax brands is obtained by drying and beating the leaves to remove the wax.
7. Chocolate – Chocolate comes from the cacao tree, a native tree of the Amazon. These trees can also be found in South and Central America, the Caribbean and other humid and tropical climates in both Africa and Asia.

How Many Tons of Paper Is Produced Per Year?

More than 400 million metric tons of paper is produced and consumed every year.

• Approximately 57% of the paper and board produced globally is used for packaging.
• The second larger market for paper is printing and writing at 25%
• The U.S. uses approximately 68 million trees each year to produce paper and paper products

Top 5 Countries That Produces the Most Paper & Paperboard (Metric Tonnes)

China, the United States, and Japan are the world’s three largest paper producing countries. These countries account for half of the world’s total paper production, while Germany and the United States remain the leading paper importers and exporters.

1. China: 101.1 million tons – China is the largest consumer of paper.
2. United States: 74.2 million tons – The United States is also the second largest consumer of paper.
3. Japan: 26.1 million tons – 17% of all of the paper exports of Japan go to South Korea.
4. Germany: 22.4 million tons – Germany’s pulp and paper industry remains afloat thanks to the increase in demand for packaging and hygienic paper. Germany is the world’s top exporter of paper.
5. South Korea: 11.8 million tons

How Many Trees Are Needed To Produce a Ton of Paper?

Regardless of the process used in the manufacturing of the paper, the pulp is an essential component. In the making of pulp, a significant number of trees are cut down. The main consideration in determining the number of trees that are cut down is whether the pulp mill relies on a chemical or a mechanical pulping process.

Industry experts indicate that while using the chemical pulping to produce 1 ton of printing paper approximately 24 trees are required. The 24 trees would have to be a combination of softwoods and hardwoods. The chemical pulping process is highly inefficient due to the large number of trees used to make a ton of paper.

The mechanical pulping process is exceptionally more efficient than the Kraft pulping process since it uses fewer trees to make one ton of paper. The mechanical pulping process utilizes 12 trees which are a mixture of hardwood and softwood.

On average, a single ton of paper would be produced from 17 trees. An individual tree is said to produce on average 476637 sheets of paper.

Is important to consider that recycled paper is included in the production of paper.

Facts About Recycled Paper

• About 37 percent of the fiber used to make new paper products in the U.S. came from recycled sources
• In 2011, 42 percent of the recovered paper was exported to overseas markets. About 53 percent stayed in the U.S. to be recycled into paper and paperboard products.
• In the United States, the papermaking material comes from:
  • Recycled paper: 33 percent.
  • Whole trees and other plants: 33 percent.
  • Wood chips and scraps from sawmills: 33 percent. (A sawmill is a facility which processes raw timber into dimensional lumber for shipping and eventual sale.)
• Every time paper is recycled, the fibers get shorter. After being recycled five to seven times, the fibers become to short to bond into new paper.

Top 5 Oldest Trees In The United States

New Jersey’s giant white oak tree is believed to be more than 600 years old. Some trees, however, have lifespans that cover thousands of years. Here’s a roundup of the top five oldest trees to have lived in the United States:

• The oldest recorded living tree on record is a Great Bristlecone pine, believed to have a lifespan of over 5,000 years. Located in the White Mountains of California, this unnamed tree is considered the oldest living tree in the world.
• Methuselah, another Bristlecone pine located in Inyo County, California is second on the list, at an age of 4,847 years.
• Prometheus, a Bristlecone Pine located at Wheeler Perk in Nevada, was the third-oldest living tree before it was cut down in 1964. It is believed the great tree lived for around 4,844 years.
• Number four on the list is a Giant Sequoia named CBR26, which is located in Sierra Nevada, California. It was believed to be 3,266 years old.
• Another Giant Sequoia rounds out the list believed to be 3,220 years old. It has since died.
• The President is believed to be the oldest Giant Sequoia that is still alive — standing tall at around 3,200 years old.

  

  

Sources of information:

worldatlas.com, financialtribune.com, pgpaper.com, insidermonkey.com, science.howstuffworks.com, thoughtco.com,

urbanforestrynetwork.org, worldwildlife.org, newyork.cbslocal.com