We all know how important water is to the house plant you have hanging on your porch or sitting on your counter. It’s pretty simple if you quit, or forget, to water it for too long it will most surely die. On the other end of the spectrum, if you give it too much water it will also die. Water has to be given in just the right amounts to sustain life. What most people don’t consider as often is that the trees outside also need just the right amount of water. We wanted to share an excerpt from a book called The Woodlot Management Handbook Authored by Stewart Hilts and Peter Mitchell and talk about it for a moment.
“Water
Water is the third critical element of the woodland ecosystem
serving as a vital connector between the soil and its nutrients, and
plant growth. In this way, water is essential for all life on earth. It
also shapes the physical landscape, forming unique features such
as streams, springs, and wetlands.
Water arrives in the form of precipitation, either as rain or
snow, and percolates through the soil to become groundwater,
as well as running off into streams. Water also makes up a significant
portion of the cells of living plants. Along with carbon dioxide from
the atmosphere, water is one of the basic ingredients in photosyn-
thesis, in which the plant converts raw materials into sugar in the
form of glucose.
This role of water in the ecosystem is referred to as the “hydro-
logical cycle.” Water falls and runs off the surface or infiltrates the
ground. Eventually it will reach a body of water, such as the ocean,
from which it evaporates, starting the cycle again. Along the way,
many molecules of water are intercepted by plants. Water enters
the roots and leaves, travels through the plant, and is either used 1n
photosynthesis or transpired back into the atmosphere as the plant
breathes. Water may also cause erosion on steep slopes as it acts on
The landscape. Protected by a canopy of trees, the slope may be stable.
but when clear-cut, a slope is highly susceptible to severe erosion
Similarly, vegetation along the banks of a stream or surrounding a”
This snipett from the book really makes you think about how water is in every aspect of life including trees. Trees can get wiped out in large swaths by droughts, and they can also become too dry and cause out of control fires. What we want to stress here is that water is so important to your tree. If you are able to water your tree on a regular basis it would keep your tree healthy and happy to grow tall. This way you can call us over here at Terre Haute Tree Removal and we can give you excellent tree trimming services. That water is life so be sure your tree has plenty of it, but also not too much that it is drowning. Thanks from all of us at Terre Haute Tree Removal!
