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Sumac | Walnut | Mesquite | Rubber | Oak | Spruce |
Ash | Elder | Pine | Orange | Apple | Locust |
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There are several layers to most forests. The most evident are the __________ that fill most of our vision. Then lower are thebushy ____________ followed by the fallen leaves and mossy __________ ___________ covering the forest soil. Sometimes a fourth layer, ___________, is added by careless humans who don't clean up after themselves. |
Read the tree diary below
and complete the tree rings the way you think they would look based on the
tree's thoughts.
Year 1- (this one is done already) I am one year old today! Happy Birthday to me! I am as thin as a reed and I bend easily in the wind. Year 2 - Today I turned 2! It's been a tough year. There are a lot of big trees all around me and I have a hard time seeing the sun. I wish they would sit down or something. Year 3 - Three years old! Yipee! Still kind of crowded around here. But I do see some sun on my south side every day. We had a very long winter too. Year 4 - The trees on my east and north side all rotted and fell to the ground. Lots of neat stuff in the soil all around me now. I just love gooey stuff. Year 5 - I'm a big boy now! This has been a fun year. Lots of rain and sun. I'm not crowded any more and soon I will be a big tree too. Year 6 - Happy Birthday to Me! It's been a hot year. I'm so thirsty. Year 7 - I would like a cup of water for my birthday. Year 8 - It's not so fun being a big tree. I wish it would rain. It's so hot! Year 9 - It's great to be a tree! Lots of sun and rain. I've had the best year of my life! Must have been that new rain dance I learned that did the trick. Year 10 - Another great year! And guess what? I'm 10 years old! YIPPPEEEE! |
Each layer of a tree cookie (cross-section) can tell us something about the tree's life and the climate in
which it grew. Write the correct parts of the trees in the appropriate blanks.
cambium growth ring heartwood outer bark phloem xylem Item 1 is called the ____________. It is a layer or zone of cells, just one cell thick, inside the inner bark. This produces both the xylem and phloem cells. This is where diameter growth occurs, and where rings and inner bark are formed. Item 2 is the ____________ or inner bark. It carries sugar made in the leaves or needles down to the trunk and roots, where it becomes the food the tree needs for growth. Item 3 is the ____________ or sapwood. It carries the sap up from the roots to the leaves. Sapwood gives a tree its strength. Item 4 is a ________________. The lighter portion is called the "early wood" (because it grows in the spring), and the darker portion the "late wood" (which grows in the summer). Together, they represent one year of growth. Item 5 is the ____________. This develops as a tree gets older. It used to be sapwood, and gives the trunk support and stiffness. It is often darker than sapwood, since its water-carrying tubes get clogged up. This tree has not developed this yet. Item 6 is the ________________. This layer protects a tree from insects and disease, excessive heat and cold, and other injuries. |