FORESTRY FACTS

*A hardwood is not necessarily a harder material (denser) and a softwood is not necessarily a softer material (less dense). For example, balsa wood is one of the lightest, least dense woods there is, and it is considered a hardwood. 

*The distinction between hardwood and softwood has to do with plant reproduction. All trees reproduce by producing seeds, but the seed structure varies. Hardwood trees are angiosperms, plants that produce seeds with some sort of covering. This might be some fruit, such as an apple, or a hard shell, such as an acorn. 

*Softwoods, on the other hand, are gymnosperms. These plants let seeds fall to the ground as is, with no covering. Pine trees, which grow seeds in hard cones, fall into this category. In conifers like pines, these seeds are released into the wind once they mature. This spreads the plant’s seed over a wider area. 

*There are approximately 60 distinct species of oak trees native to the United States. The oaks found in North America fall into one of two groups: white oaks and red oaks. 

*We still have 70% of the forests that were here in 1600. 

*737 million acres of forests in the U.S. 

*Scientists have discovered that when forests become old and overcrowded, trees begin to use more oxygen than they produce. Young, well-managed forests tend to be the most efficient at absorbing carbon dioxide and producing oxygen. 

*Trees regenerate naturally through seeding or root sprouting or are replanted by people. 

*Harvesting timber helps wildlife habitat by creating cover and food as new sprouts begin to grow. 

*The age of trees can be determined by counting the number of rings contained within the trunk when cut horizontally. As trees grow throughout the year they produce differing colors of bark wood; light wood in the early portion of the year, and dark wood in later months, which causes rings to appear internally. 

*Trees produce breathable oxygen by absorbing and converting carbon dioxide. Trees are so effective at this, that a single, normal-sized tree is capable of 

producing enough oxygen for four people to live off. The carbon they absorb in one year is equal to that produced by driving an average car over 8,000 miles. 

*Researchers at the UT Southwestern Medical Center are currently studying how a substance that is found in tree bark helps kill cancer cells for patients who have lung and prostate cancer. The South American Lapacho tree bark kills certain types of cancer cells because it contains a chemical called beta-lapachone. The bark’s chemical interacts with a tumor’s elevated levels of NQO1 and causes cancer cell death. Researchers extract the chemical from the tree’s bark to produce a medicinal tablet.