Extension Communications
3614 Administrative Services Building
Ames, Iowa 50011-3614
(515) 294-9915
12/13/99
Contacts:
Paul Wray, Forestry Extension, (515) 294-1168, phw@iastate.edu
Elaine Edwards, Extension Communication Systems, (515)
294-5168, eedwards@iastate.edu
Yard and Garden Column for the Week Beginning Dec. 17
Amazing Tree Facts
By Paul Wray
Extension forester
Iowa State University Extension
As we approach the true beginning of winter, let's discover some interesting facts and history about the unique and wonderful tree resources we have in Iowa.
From 1859 to 1889, Iowa was one of the nation's leading lumbering states. The combination of westward settlement, the availability of lumber logs in Wisconsin and the river transport system provided the necessary environment for the lumber industry to flourish. Millions of logs were floated down the Mississippi River to riverside towns, where they were processed into lumber and final products. At the peak, more than 7,000 people were employed and the forest products industry accounted for more than one-tenth of the state's total industrial output. When the vast forests of white pine started to shrink, the demise of the Iowa lumber industry was swift and final.
The most important use of Iowa's native woodlands in the late 1800s was for transportation. Initially, the main use of wood was for building and/or fueling wagons, bridges and steamboats up the major rivers. When the railroads began their major expansion throughout the state, the demand for wood for railroad ties consumed a significant portion of the state's forest resource. During this period, a white oak tie would last only 7 years, and each mile of rail would require 6 acres of woodland for the timbers and ties.
We value trees for many reasons, including their beauty during the seasons, their influences on our environment and the many species of birds and animals they shelter and feed. Trees have an effect on our air quality. For every pound of wood produced by a tree, it also provides a pound of oxygen and uses almost 1.5 pounds of carbon dioxide. Or an acre of trees uses 5,880 pounds of carbon dioxide and gives us 4,280 pounds of oxygen each year.
Trees are nature's air conditioners. A single tree can transpire 100 gallons of water from its leaves in a single day. The cooling provided by this single tree is equivalent to five average room air conditioners running 20 hours per day. An acre of urban forest or park will transpire more than 1,600 gallons of water per day.
A large tree may have 200,000 to 400,000 leaves, which act like a continuous air filter. An acre of trees may remove as much as 13 tons of dust each year. Streets with trees have 3,000 particles per liter of air, compared with 10,000 to 12,000 in streets without trees. Trees also remove heavy metals. One study in Connecticut estimated that a single sugar maple tree, 1 foot in diameter, removes in one growing season 60 mg of cadmium, 140 mg of chromium, 820 mg of nickel and 5,200 mg of lead. Trees serve as moderate filters of some gaseous pollutants such as sulfur dioxide and carbon monoxide.
Each Iowa citizen uses the equivalent of a 100-foot tree each year. We use 600 pounds of paper each year for all uses. From 1900 to 1988, Americans grew and used the equivalent of 13 billion 100-foot trees. An acre of Iowa woodland grows 1/2 to 1 cord of wood each year. From a cord of wood the following products can be produced:
7,500,000 toothpicks
1,000-2,000 lbs of paper (depending on the process)
942 one-lb books
61,370 #10 envelopes
4,384,000 commemorative size postage stamps
460,000 personal checks
89,870 sheets of letterhead bond paper
1,200 copies of the National Geographic
2,700 copies of the average daily paper
250 copies of the Sunday New York Times
30 Boston Rockers
12 dining room tables
Building an average 1,800 square foot home uses 10,000 board feet of lumber, equivalent to 20 cords.
Iowa trees have had some historical significance. The original Delicious apple tree grew up as a sprout in a orchard near Peru. Since this discovery, millions of Delicious apples have their roots from this Iowa tree.
Iowa is not known for its maple syrup operations, but one of the oldest continuous businesses in Iowa is The Green Sugarbush. This sugar bush near Decorah has been tapped by five generations of Greens for more than 150 years producing this sweet product from the forest.
The "plow in the oak tree" near Exira illustrates how a single event can be carried through the years. The story is that an Iowa farmer was called to do battle in the Civil War during the early 1860s. He leaned his plow against a small bur oak near his field and joined the Union forces, never to return. In the almost 140 years since, the tree has almost completely grown over the plow. Today, part of the handles and part of the blade are all that are visible.
Trees in Iowa have had historic significance, are currently appreciated for all the benefits obtained from them and will continue to be important to our lives in the new millennium. Remember to appreciate and take care of this great renewable resource, our trees.
ml: isugarden
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