When you think of trees…well…do you ever really think of trees? You are probably under the impression that the only people who think of trees are tree huggers and politicians. That may be true, but today we are going to give you some good reasons to think about trees. That sounds boring right? Well, it’s not! You just have to trust us! Trees are one of those things that, although you probably don’t give them much thought, you can’t live without them. If it weren’t for trees and forests, our world would not be a habitable place to live in. They convert the carbon dioxide into oxygen so that our air remains breathable. The problems is, that the number of trees in many parts of the world have decreased drastically. It’s not all bad news though! Did you know that the United States actually has more trees today than it did in the past? It’s true. With good leadership from the government it is possible to counter the negative effects of deforestation. The only challenge is passing such laws in countries with corrupt governments. These are 25 tree-rific tree facts that prove how cool they are!
If you enjoyed these TREE-RIFIC tree facts, then check out these 25 Impressive Topiary Sculptures
Featured Image: pixabay
25
Columbia University has developed a tree that is 1,000 times more effective at absorbing CO2 than a regular tree
Source: bbc, Image: wikipedia 24
California is home to some of the world's oldest trees. Some of them are more than 5,000 years old!
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia 23
The locations of some of the oldest trees are kept secret to prevent people from damaging them
Source: wikipedia, Image: pixabay 22
Leonardo Da Vinci was the first person to note that all of a tree's branches put together would equal the thickness of the tree's trunk. Modern science is trying to show why this is true (for the most part)
Source: insidescience.org, Image: pixabay 21
During the 1930s, Nazis planted a tree shaped swastika that was only discovered in 1992 during an aerial survey. Residents promptly cut down the trees (swastikas are illegal in Germany)
Source: atlasobscura.com, Image: wikipedia 20
Nearly 96% of ancient redwood trees have been cut down. These trees are among the oldest and tallest trees left on Earth.
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia 19
About 99% of any given tree is actually dead. The living 1% consists of the leaves, the root tips, and a thin layer called the phloem that is found under the bark and connects the two leaves with the roots by delivering nutrients
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia 18
Over 1000 years ago, the islands of Venice were built on trees, but because the trees are submerged they do not rot. In fact, minerals in the water have been gradually calcifying them into stone
Source: wikipedia, Image: pixabay 17
On the island of Tana Toraja in Indonesia, if a baby dies the villagers will cut a hole into a tree, lay the baby inside, and let the tree grow back around it.
Source: transitionsabroad.com, Image: wikipedia 16
Sandbox trees are covered in poisonous spikes and can shoot their fruits at over 250km!
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia 15
During the late Devonian Period, as plants began to appear, trees started to increase in number and suck all the CO2 out of the air. This ended up causing an ice age because the fungi that would decompose the trees and convert them back into CO2 didn't exist yet. Scientists have called this the Late Devonian Wood Crisis
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia 14
The US has more trees now than it has ever had in the past 100 years. This is because starting in the 1940s deforestation rates have been lower than forest growth rates.
Source: mnn.com, Image: pixabay 13
Recent studies have shown how older and bigger trees share nutrients with smaller and younger trees. The new trees then repay the debt when they get bigger.
Source: positivenewsus.org, Image: pixabay 12
During Mr T's time in the Army, he was ordered to chop trees as a punishment. He ended up chopping down more than 70 trees in 4 hours until his astonished officers told him to stop
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia 11
In 1987, Mr T went on to make his neighbors mad (in Lake Forest, a suburb of Chicago) by cutting down more than 100 trees on his property. This has come to be known as the Lake Forest Chainsaw Massacre
Source: wikipedia 10
Treehotel is a hotel in Sweden that has all its rooms exactly where you might suspect....in the trees!
Source: treehotel.se, Image: wikipedia 9
Since the 1980s, every Chinese citizen over the age of 11 has been legally mandated to plant at least 3 trees every single year
Source: ipsnews.net, Image: pixabay 8
Justin Timberlake once hired a company to figure out the carbon footprint of his concerts and then had trees planted in the cities he had visited on the tour to offset his carbon footprint
Source: mirimichi.com, Image: wikipedia 7
In Athens, Georgia there is a tree that owns itself. In the 1800s, its owner, Professor Jackson, deeded the tree ownership of itself as well as all land within 8 feet of its base
Source: visitathensga.com 6
The Senator was a 3,500 year old tree in Florida (5th oldest on Earth) until a meth junkie crawled inside it and ended up burning it to the ground
Source: reddit 5
Pennsylvania is home to Penn Forest Natural Burial Park. It is a "green cemetery" which basically means bodies are buried "naturally". Yes, kind of like the cowboys used to do it....just dirt.
Source: pennforestcemetery.com, Image: wikipedia 4
In 1976, North Korean soldiers killed two US soldiers that were trimming a tree in the DMZ between North and South Korea. The US and South Korea responded with over 800 men, nearly 30 helicopters, and nuclear bombers. They ended up blowing the tree to smithereens. (known as the Axe Murder Incident)
Source: wikipedia 3
Hawaii has eucalyptus trees with rainbow bark!
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia 2
Manchineel trees, found in Florida, are often considered the most poisonous trees in the world. Their fruits can kill you and even if you just stand beneath it while it is raining you will probably get some nasty blisters
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia 1
There are bonsai orange trees that actually grow mini oranges!
Source: bonsaigardener.org, Image: wikipedia 
