There are more than 40,000 kinds of trees in the world. No matter what they look like or where they grow, all trees have the same parts. Roots pull up water from the soil.


Leaves make food from the sun. Bark protects plants from harm. Branches and trunks support trees and push them closer to sunlight.


Circle of Life


Like all living things, trees have a life cycle. For example, high in the White Mountains of California sits an old, old tree. It’s almost 5,000 years old. People have named it aſt er the biblical figure, Methuselah. Methuselah the tree is an evergreen.


Evergreens have special leaves and flowers. T e leaves are green needles. T ey can survive long periods without water. Instead of flowers, evergreens have cones. Male cones make pollen. T e wind carries pollen to female cones, and seeds are produced. When a cone opens up, the seeds fall to the ground. T ey sprout and grow into seedlings. Seedlings grow into other bristlecone pines. T e cycle begins again.


Life After Death


When a tree dies, nothing is wasted. When it falls, it opens up an area for sunlight. Seeds sprout and take root in the ground. Some trees sprout on the trunks of fallen


trees. T ey get nourishment from the tree as it rots. T ese fallen trees are called "nurse logs."


A nurse log helps bring new life to the forest.


12 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC EXPLORER


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