(A page on why trees are cool...)

They create oxygen, a single 30 metre mature tree can absorb as much as 22.7 kilograms (50 pounds) of carbon dioxide (that's the bad stuff) a year, which over its lifetime is approximately the same amount as would be produced by an average car being driven 41,500 kilometers (25,787 miles). The same tree could also produce 2,721 kilograms (5,998.78 pounds) of oxygen (the stuff we need to breath) a year. That's enough to support two people (we sure do need a lot of oxygen!). Tree's grow faster as they get older, so their capacity for photosynthesis and carbon sequestration increases with age. So trees are crucial for everyone and everything to live.

Trees are also extremely important to wildlife. For example, a single oak can support hundreds of different species, including 284 species of insects, and 324 taxa (species, subspecies, and varieties) of lichens living directly on the tree. These in turn provide food for numerous birds and small mammals. The acorns of oak tree's (which usually don't appear until the tree is around 40 years old) are food for dozens of species, including wild boar (and now more commonly pigs) pheasants, pigeons, squirrels, ducks, mice, jays, dear, badgers (wouldn't expect a badger to eat acorns, would you?), and many other animals.

Another amazing thing about trees, is they are living, breathing, compasses. In northern temperature climates, moss will grow on the northern side of the tree trunk. No moss? If you happen the stumble upon a tree that's been cut down, you can observe the rings of the inner tree. In the northern hemisphere, the southern side of the ring is slightly thicker than the rest of the ring. This is because the southern side receives more light. Another cool fact, you can tell how old a tree is by looking at the rings. Tree trunks grow thicker every year by adding another ring of growth. You can also tell how rainy or dry a season was by how thick the rings are. During a rainy season, the rings will grow thicker because the tree has more water, and during a dry season, the rings will be thinner.

Most people know that trees near buildings can raid property prices by an average of 14 percent in the U.K. and up to 37 percent in the U.S. but trees can also have an impact on the energy used for heating and cooling houses, reducing air conditioning air conditioning costs by as much as 30 Percent and and saving 20 to 50 percent in energy used for heating. This is because as well as creating shade, a large tree can also transpire as much as 378.5 litres (100 gallons) of water into the air per day. This has a cooling effect roughly equivalent to 10 single room-side air conditioning units operating 20 hours a day!

Tree's are masters of self defense and communication. When attacked by insects, trees can flood their leaves with chemicals called phenolics. These noxious compounds are distasteful to those nasty tree pests and can even impede their growth.
What's really amazing is that once attacked, it will send out a "signal" to other trees, warning them to activate their own self-defense before the insects are able to attack! Communication could include releasing chemicals into the wind, or possibly even communication through chemical or electric signals sent through the michorizal network roots (a network of shared fungal fibers).

Contrary to popular belief, the tallest trees in the world are actually the coast or California redwood, and not the giant Redwood's in Wellingtonia.
Even though both species are sometimes called giant redwoods, the Sequoia grows slightly taller. The tallest was recorded at 115.7 metres. That's 379.7 feet! This behemoth, called "Hyperion", can be found i redwoods national park, California, (although, its exact location is not disclosed for fear of vandalism).

You know what else is amazing? The oldest living organism is believed to be the "pando" colony of quaking Aspen in Utah, also known as the trembling giants. The giants cover some 103 acre's, and are estimated to weigh nearly 6,600 tons, making it also the heaviest known organism.
Being a clonal colony, the tree's trunks each share the same genetic makeup. Its estimated that parts of the interconnected root stocks that links the colony together as an excess of 80,000 years old!

Not to mention, these things have the ability to change color!

So trees are pretty cool, huh? Besides, have you seen how amazing some of of them look?

This wasn't half as boring as I thought it would be when I was told to do a report on why trees are cool.