Did you know that a single tree produces approximately 260 pounds of oxygen per year? That means two mature trees can supply enough oxygen annually to support a family of four!
More than 20% of the world’s oxygen is produced in the Amazon Rainforest.
To eat, trees go through a process called photosynthesis. To do this, their leaves pull in carbon dioxide and water through tiny pores, called stomata, and use energy absorbed from the sun to turn the CO2 and H2O into sugars.
During that process, the tree releases 02, which is oxygen, from the leaves’ stomata.
What’s interesting is that it takes about equal parts carbon dioxide to make that same amount of oxygen. It takes six molecules of carbon dioxide to produce one molecule of glucose – the sugar that the tree needs for its metabolism. During photosynthesis, the tree then releases six molecules of oxygen as a by-product.
The process of photosynthesis occurs in the green parts of the leaf and stem, called chloroplasts. That means that trees do most of their work taking in carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen when their leaves are green, which is during the spring and summer.
As fall arrives and leaves change colour, they can no longer do photosynthesis. Some trees with green stems are still able to do some synthesising of carbon dioxide into sugars, mostly utilising carbon dioxide that they give off themselves.
Trees also utilise oxygen when they break down the sugars they have created during photosynthesis to use for energy. However, they release more oxygen than they use up, so that they provide enough oxygen for you and me to breathe.
Some of the Indian trees that emit the most Oxygen include Banyan, Peepal and Neem.
So next time you take a deep breath of air give credit to a tree!
Source: https://dickinsoncountyconservationboard.com
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