Photosynthesis

Of all the living things in the world, trees and other green plants are the only ones that have the unique ability to make their own food using light energy from the sun. The food that green plants produce not only sustains the plant but also provides food, directly or indirectly, for all animal life.

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And that's not all! As a tree makes food, it cleans the air, filters water and gives off oxygen. This amazing process is called photosynthesis.

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Photosynthesis takes place when water and nutrients from the soil are absorbed by a tree's roots and carried by special tube-like cells called xylem up through the tree trunk… through the branches… through the twigs… all the way to the leaves.

Water moves into the leaf through the veins.

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At the same time water is entering the leaf, carbon dioxide is also being absorbed into the leaf from the air through holes called stomata. Carbon dioxide is a gas that is exhaled by people and animals and is also released during the burning of fossil fuels.

Photosynthesis begins when sunlight hits the leaf. Chlorophyll, a green-colored chemical within the leaf, captures the sunlight.

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Carbon dioxide mixes with water and nutrients in the presence of chlorophyll and sunlight and is transformed in a sugar-like substance that becomes the basic source of food for the tree and other living things.

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The sugar-food moves out of the leaves and is transported through phloem cells down to the trunk, roots and fruits of the tree. In the process of making this food, the tree also produces oxygen, the air we need to breathe.

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Each leaf is like a tiny factory powered by energy from the sun that helps clean the air. The more trees we have, the better air we have. The better our environment.

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