REAL TREES 4 Kids! - Get Growing

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Coniferous trees, just like all other living things, grow in a cycle. The REAL TREE life cycle is much like other plants. Pollen is made. Seeds develop and are spread around. The seeds grow into mature plants that produce new seeds. And the cycle begins again! Tree farms use that cycle to plan a successful harvest.

Let's take a closer look.

In the Cones

We'll start with the cones. The cones of conifer trees are made of scales. These scales are actually leaves that have evolved and adapted over time.

Most coniferous trees have both male and female cones. Male cones are small and soft. They produce (make) pollen. Once the pollen is released, male cones shrivel and die.

Female cones produce eggs. They are larger and more woody than male cones. The wind carries pollen made by the male cones. The pollen lands on the scales of female cones. The female cones are called seed cones because
they hold the seeds created by pollination.

Female cones have structures called ovules. Ovules are small eggs. When an ovule is pollinated, it develops into a seed. The seeds sit on the scales of the cones and are
are sheltered by the cone. The seed is protected only by
a seed coat.

In several months, or sometimes even years, the seeds mature. The cones can then be harvested and seeds
can be collected.

Seed Beds and Seedlings

Next, nurseries or growers remove the seeds from the seed cones and plant them. They grow into seedlings in seed beds. The seedlings are cared for until they are about 3 to 5 years old. Then, they are replanted into the fields.

Not all of the replanted seedlings will live. The trees that do not make it are replaced so that the grower will have a full field.

In the Fields

While the trees are in the field, they must be fertilized. They must also be weeded. Weeds around the new trees take some of the nutrients from the soil. The trees need those nutrients so
the weeds must go!

Now the only job of the tree is to keep growing. The grower, however, still has a few things to do. One of them is pruning.

When a grower prunes trees, the top is trimmed to control how fast the tree grows. It's kind of like getting your hair trimmed!

Trees also must be shaped and sheared while they are growing. This is so that when they are sold, they have a shape that people will like.

The trees that have been in the field for several years are ready to be harvested. Harvest time is very busy for growers. The trees that will be cut must be selected and tagged. Once the trees are cut, they are tied (baled) nice and tight so that the branches won't be damaged as they are shipped to the tree lots to be sold.

In the spring, after the harvest, new trees are planted and the cycle begins again!

fertilize:
to add something to the soil to make it more fertile (better for growing plants)

nutrients:
a substance necessary for a plant or animal to grow

pollen:
the part of a plant that allows for fertilization (the ability to create a seed)

pollination:
when pollen from the male cone comes in contact with the ovule of a female cone

pruning:
cutting off undesired twigs, branches, or roots

seedlings:
a plant or tree grown from a seed; any young plant

scales:
small, thin, usually dry, parts of a plant

shear:
to cut or remove by cutting

ovules:
the structure of a seed plant that develops into a seed after fertilization; a small egg

seed coat:
the outer protective covering of a seed

life cycle:
the progression through a series of different stages of development

How much do you know about the REAL TREE cycle?

Print this journal page and show what you know!

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One acre of Real Trees on a farm makes enough oxygen for 18 people.

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