Did You Know?

Did you know that :

• Trees have a life span, just as all living things do. Tree species commonly found in the forests in West Virginia will typically have a life expectancy of between 35 years (species such as Virginia pine, black locust, etc.) and 350 to 400 years (i.e. white oak). Certain species, like the Bristlecone pine or Cedar of Lebanon, found elsewhere in the world have such long life spans (up to 3,500 years) some individuals could have been alive during Christ’s time on earth!
• Wilted cherry leaves can be deadly if ingested by cattle. Green or completely dead cherry leaves do not poses a serious threat, but when green and partially wilted these leaves have a very high concentration of cyanic acid (Cyanide) and are therefore extremely toxic.
• A healthy 100-foot tall tree has about 200,000 leaves. A tree this size can take 11,000 gallons of water from the soil and release it into the air again, as oxygen and water vapor in a single growing season.
• The average American uses the equivalent if one tree 100 feet tong and 16 inches in diameter, or roughly 300 board feet of wood each year. The net average annual growth on forest lands across the nation is estimated to be 200 board feet per acre (could go as high as 300 on good sites and a well managed forest). Therefore each of us (and there are 260 million of us Americans) requires wood amounting to the total growth on between 1 and 1.5 acres of timberland every year.