The Evolution of Trees

Four hundred and seventy million years ago the earth was likely a very barren place without plants and animals, which is quite hard to imagine now because there are different types of plants and animals just about anywhere you look. The tree was one of the lucky living things that evolved from that time to become the beautiful thing that it is today.

The evolution of trees into what they are today started a long time ago, in the ocean. Long before there was life outside of the water there were plants in the ocean that had already struggled to survive. Slowly, over time algae and other plants made their way onto the land, finding ways to bring water and support to their once water ridden structural systems. This was a difficult process, proven by the fact that it took so very long for plants and trees to find their way to dry land.

Because of the arid land that the plants were trying to grow upon, they had to toughen up against the elements. So, over time the plants began to grow a bark for protection from the loss of water, harsh sunlight, so the evolution of wood is synonymous with that of the trees as it was an evolutionary side effect. Without bark trees could have never blossomed into the large, heavy plants that they are today because they would have been left without the proper protection from the elements.

Trees started appearing quite late in our earths history, about three hundred and seventy million years ago. It is hard to imagine that the first animals had existed without the shade, protection, and foods that trees provide, but somehow they did.
It was trees that came along with their large root structures that began to break up the very hard crust of the earth’s surface to allow for the evolution and creation of other plant species. Without the evolution of trees, it would have been nearly impossible for other plants to make their start on the surface of the earth at all.

The first tree was an Archaeopteris, a tree that looked quite like a Christmas tree. Three hundred and seventy million years ago the Archaeopteris covered most of the earth with its first forests. As the earth changed, many plants including the Archaeopter became extinct but by that time there were many other species of plants that took over and eventually new species were created. Today scientists have identified over 100,000 different species of trees, yet some of these are in critical phases and nearing extinction.

While the land was once without trees, it is hard to imagine it that way because we are more dependent upon trees than most of us realize. Trees are a large part of our ecosystem as they help regulate the climate, distribute nutrients, and they help cleanse the air and provide oxygen. Trees also provide many animals with homes and shade from the sun, as well as fruits to eat. Without trees our lives would be vastly different than they are today, and that is why conservation is so important.

Even though trees made their way out of the ocean and onto the land relatively late in the game, they have become a huge part of the land structure. If trees were gone tomorrow we’d experience a huge upset in the ecosystem that would affect every species in every continent in the world. Trees are beautiful, but they are also necessary. Teaching future generations just how important trees are will help secure their safety and ours too.