Happy National Tree Day! Did you know that was even a thing? Since 2011, Canada has celebrated National Tree Day on the Wednesday of National Forest Week every September. Since Of Houses and Trees would be nothing without trees (or just “Of Houses” – how boring) I wanted to celebrate the occasion with five amazing facts about trees. So here they are!
A tree can be used as a compass. If you’re ever lost in the woods, look to the trees. In northern temperate climates, moss grows on the north side of a tree where it’s shadier.
Or, if you come across a tree stump, look at the rings to find your way. In the north they’ll be thicker on the southern side of the tree because that side receives more sunlight. In the southern hemisphere the opposite is true – the rings will be thicker on the side facing north.The oldest living organism on earth is a stand of trees. A colony of Quaking Aspen (Populus tremuloides) located in Utah are believed to be 80,000 years old. The colony covers 103 acres of land and weighs approximately 6600 tons – making it the heaviest living organism on earth as well.
More than half of all tree species are native to one country. There are 60,065 different species of trees, with 58% of them being confined within the borders of a single country.
Planting one tree in an open field can increase bird biodiversity from zero to 80. And it isn’t just birds that find trees the ideal habitat as the quantity and diversity of understory plants, bats and non-flying mammals finds a significant boost in treed areas. The more trees – the more biodiversity, including at risk and endangered species.
Trees fight crime. Not only are trees an essential part of the ecosystem, but they’re superheroes too! Many of us have heard that trees raise property values, but studies have shown that adding green spaces to urban areas actually lowers crime rates.
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And that’s only the beginning! There are so very many wonderful, strange and inspiring facts about trees. (Did you know trees can communicate with each other?!) All the more reason to preserve and plant them. If you want to plant a tree, but don’t have the space to do so, there are several organizations that will plant one for you. Tentree will plant ten trees for every item of clothing you purchase. Don’t want to buy anything? Search engine Ecosia uses its ad revenue to plant trees… How cool is that!
What’s your favourite thing about trees? Got any amazing facts about trees to add to my list? Comment below and I’ll plant a tree. True story! Don’t forget to subscribe for posts on architecture, interior design, DIY projects, sustainability, gardening, home decor and healthy eating. You can also now follow my blog with Bloglovin!
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Posted on September 27, 2017
Former architectural technologist. Current treehugger.
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It recently started using Ecosia at work instead of Google because the tree planting can counter the pollution of the cabs I dispatch. I feel better using an environmentally friendly search engine.
I would love to hear/read more on how green spaces help reduce crime. That is so cool and something I totally didn’t know.
That’s such a good idea to offset the carbon footprint of the cabs. Not that you’re driving and/or taking them, but still it’s nice you’re taking responsibility for your part in the process. And a full post on how green spaces and trees help reduce crime is a great idea!
Do you know what country it is that is home to 58% of the tree species? Curious!
Haha! I should change the wording of that fact. 58% of tree species ORIGINATE from a single country. This type of species is called “endemic,” which means they are naturally found in one area only. Brazil actually has the highest number or endemic tree species, though I’m not sure what the percentage is. Great question Steph!