Every tree begins as a seed. Given water, warmth, and soil, the seed wakes up in a process called germination.
Stage 1: The Seedling
First a tiny root pushes down to anchor the plant and drink water. Then a shoot pushes up toward the light. The first leaves open and start making food from sunlight.
Stage 2: The Sapling
As the young tree grows taller, its stem thickens into a woody trunk. Roots spread wider underground, often as far as the branches reach above.
Stage 3: The Mature Tree
A mature tree flowers or makes cones, then produces its own seeds. This is how the cycle begins again.
How Trees Get Wider
Trees grow taller from their tips, but they grow wider from a thin layer just under the bark. In many climates a tree adds one new ring each year. Count the rings on a cut stump and you can estimate its age. Wide rings usually mean a good growing year, and narrow rings often mean a dry or cold one.
Fun Fact
Some trees grow for hundreds or even thousands of years.
Try This at Home
Plant an acorn or a bean in a cup of soil. Measure it weekly and keep a growth chart.
