Science Facts About Trees

Oak trees produce 2,200 acorns in a season, but each acorn only has a 1 in 10,000 chance of becoming an oak tree.

Oak trees are struck by lightning more than any other tree.

It is estimated that millions of trees in the world are accidentally planted by squirrels who bury nuts and then forget where they hid them!

The bark of an older redwood tree can be up to 12 inches thick and is remarkably fire-resistant.

In one day, a full grown redwood tree expels more than 2 tons of water through its leaves.

Oak trees can live 200 or more years.

On some Caribbean islands, the oysters can climb trees.

An olive tree can live up to 1,500 years!

The 'Bicycle Tree', found near Brig o' Turk in Scotland, has consumed an entire bike that now hangs out of its bark.

The Manchineel Tree is so poisonous, rainwater dripping off it’s leaves will burn your skin.

There is a “Fruit Salad Tree” which can grow up to 6 different types of fruit.

The United States has more trees today than it did 100 years ago. Forest regrowth has exceeded harvesting since the early 20th century, with the country gaining approximately 7.1% of its forest cover since 1920.

Sharks have been on the planet longer than trees.

‘Tree shaping’ is the art of growing trees and roots into things like bridges, chairs, “people trees”, ladders, fences, jungle gyms, tunnels, and, theoretically, could even be used to grow homes.

A forest of 47,000 aspen trees in Utah is actually one single organism. Every trunk connects underground to the same root system. The colony is called Pando, and it covers 106 acres. It weighs an estimated 6,000 metric tons - one of the heaviest living things ever found. That root system may be up to 16,000 years old. One tree. 80 football fields.

Over 90% of land plants are connected through underground fungal networks called mycorrhizae, which allow trees to share nutrients, water, and chemical signals with each other—a system scientists call the 'Wood Wide Web.'