Trees are everywhere. Whether you live in a rural area, an urban city, or somewhere in between, it’s safe to say that there’s a tree somewhere near you. There are over 3 trillion trees on planet earth. They are immensely diverse, and so adaptable that they are found on every continent except Antarctica.

As you may already know, earth’s life support system depends on trees. This is because trees carry out a process called photosynthesis. This means that trees absorb carbon dioxide and sunlight, and produce glucose and oxygen. Just like animals need food, the glucose produced in photosynthesis is stored as food for the plant, however the oxygen is released into the atmosphere, and we use it to breathe!

One activity you could try at home is creating a leaf rubbing. To do this, you can collect fallen, dry leaves and place them underneath a piece of paper, with the ‘veins’ of the leaf facing upwards. You can then rub a crayon of any colour over the top of the paper, and watch as the leaf’s pattern is transferred onto the paper! As well as being used for leaf rubbings, you can use a leaf to identify a species of tree. There are many different types of tree, and so some people use a leaf chart to discover the species of certain trees.

Currently, Britain’s trees are in danger. They are under threat from many human-related causes, including pests and illnesses, climate change, and deforestation. It is imperative that we do all that we can to protect the trees we have left. There are also many petitions that you can sign in order to prevent the deforestation of large areas of the UK. Finally, if you are able to, consider planting a tree. This is both a great project and a fantastic way to help save the trees.