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| Through transpiration trees extract huge amounts of water from the soil and spew it into the atmosphere. |
Three Major Cycles in Forests
For a better understanding of the overall value of trees, we'll look at the three major cycles in forests. There are many other processes that also take place, but these three will provide a big-picture look at what's going on in forests, which can then be downsized to fit into our local activities in our yards and in our communities.1) The Water Cycle: Water moves through trees, evaporates into the air, forms clouds, rains or snows, both locally and globally. Water from the precipitation is soaked up by trees.
2) The Carbon Cycle: Carbon absorbed during photosynthesis and is released during respiration, fire & decomposition.
3) The Oxygen Cycle: O2 is produced through photosynthesis and absorbed through respiration.