TREES AND THEIR ENERGY TRANSACTIONS
Trees should be considered as energy transducers of: Wind, Sun and Rainfall.
Wind:
Only 40% of the wind is forced through the trees, and friction causes heat inside the forest with no frost in marginal frost sites. The trees on the outside have thicker trunks due to wind force and the inner trunks are thinner. The wind brings in dust and insects which fallout so the forest at the wind edge receives more fertilizer. Rain runoff is also more plentiful at the windward edge as the high pressure of the wind keeps the moisture in. The remaining 60% of the wind is forced up over the trees, forms and falls as Ekman spirals. Rain is caused by the Ekman spirals if there is any moisture in the air. Trees can cause moisture the moisture to drop because of the upward forced spiraling of the wind.
Light:
Light is absorbed, transmitted through or reflected by the tree, depending on trunk colour, leaf shape and colour, and canopy also this depends on climate. Light absorption is mainly on the crown for photosynthesis. A high light absorption tree is a radiator of heat and is mainly found in cool temperate climates.
Light reflection is also on the crown especially in dense plantings, and all over the tree in the form of silver leaves. A reflecting tree is a light producer and is usually found in low light conditions. Trees with white bark reflect heat away from the trunk. Transmitted light is red light, and stimulates root growth.
Rain:
Impact on the crown causes some immediate evaporation but in dense plantings, there is no impact on the ground, and so prevents erosion under the trees. Each leaf is wetted and no water falls through the crown until all leaves are wet, so the tree intercepts the rain. When through fall occurs water begins to drip off the leaves, towards the branches and trunk, this water is full of dust, insects and plant nutrients. Canopy drip-feeds the surface roots and trunk drip feeds the deeper tap root systems. The main function of the tap roots is to mine minerals which are brought back up to the leaves, and then washed off during rain to be used by the surface feeding roots. Leaf mulch litter under the tree impedes water absorption, and 3 inches of mulch holds 1 inch of water. The surface tree roots are able to absorb what they need before the water infiltrates to the ground. Infiltration takes place when all the soil crumbs are coated with water, and tree roots can soak water from the soil crumbs themselves. When the soil reaches field capacity or saturation point, water then slowly percolates to the groundwater. Transpiration occurs when the process reverses from deep ground water, goes back up through the trees and is released into the air as clouds. After the first rainfall on the land of 100% moisture from the ocean, 60% of all clouds inland are formed by forests. The minute particles that rise off the trees is made up of bits of leaves, pollen, oils and waxes that exude off the leaves, and two types of bacteria that live with all this material on the leaves. At the center of every raindrop inland is a dust and bacteria nucleus particle off trees. More water that comes to Earth is condensation rather than rain. One tree can be as much as 20-40 acres of leaf surface area that can inter-act which humidity in the air. Moisture is condensed at night because it is relatively cooler than the air or wind. Trees put out negative ions which attract positive ions, usually dust and pollution, so air around trees is healthier. There is a great need for more trees throughout cities to counteract positive ions in the air, which cause depression. In 100% forest cover ground water run off is zero. At 80% vegetative cover; 5% runoff; at 60% cover; 35% runoff; at 20% cover; 60% runoff. Severe soil loss as vegetation cover is removed.