Question: how do trees grow

Emma Markham answered on 20 Jun 2019:

That’s a great question! Trees need three things to live, sunlight, carbon dioxide and water, this is used by the chlorophyll in the leaves to produce energy in the form of sugar. These sugars are sent to other parts of the plant to help them grow. If the plant is able to make more sugar than it needs it can store in special storage organs, like potatoes, or it can make fruit to help encourage animals to distribute their seeds to new locations.
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The leaves make the sugars and send them down to the roots and other parts of the plant, and the roots send water up from the soil to the leaves to be used in photosynthesis and extra water can evaporates from small pores (stoma) in the leaves to help keep the leaves cool.
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So the tree has energy but how does it grow? essentially the cells in specific areas of the tree divide, such as at the buds and ends of branches and within the bark of the tree, this allows the tree to grow. The tree needs to build a big strong trunk to help support the weight of the leaves and branches, especially in high winds and rain. The bark grows a new layer each year, creating the rings of the tree, allowing us to determine the age of a tree when we cut it down.