Troup TREEmendous Essay and Art Contest winning entries

First place essay

Hannah Cody

fifth grade, Berta Weathersbee Elementary School

Trees are Important

Hi, my name is Hannah Cody, and I think trees are nature’s most important plant. Do you like breathing? Well, trees are the key to breathing because they clean the air like a big filter. One tree produces at least 260 pounds of oxygen a year. Trees also make homes for birds and squirrels. They are the longest living organisms on Earth. So, if you cut down a tree, plant another.

Here are some interesting facts about trees. Did you know that one stack of lined paper equals eighteen trees? If you cut down a tree, look at the rings to see how old it was. If a seventy year old tree dies, it releases over three tons of carbon dioxide into the air. Trees can live to be 200 years old. We get a lot of medicine from rainforest trees.

My favorite tree is the Sugar Maple. The Sugar Maple is from Canada. It is a landscape standout. During the year the leaves are yellow and green. It can’t grow in salt water. It needs moist soil. It grows 40 to 50 feet tall. This is my favorite tree because it’s a lively tree, and involves my favorite thing, SUGAR!

Second place essay: Camren Russell

fifth grader, Berta Weathersbee

Trees

Earth’s favorite plant is the tree. Trees are very important to the environment. Trees provide food and shelter for small animals and give off oxygen for animals to breathe. They lower air temperature by evaporating water in their leaves.

Did you know trees use carbon dioxide and water to make food? This process is called photosynthesis. Tree roots stabilize the soil and prevent erosion. The average tree in metropolitan areas survives only about eight years, but while they live, they cut down noise pollution, acting like sound barriers.

My favorite tree is the Live Oak. The scientific name is Quercus virginiana. Oaks can live 200 or more years. The Live Oak is the state tree of Georgia. It is also the symbol of strength of the South.

Trees are a gift from nature and need to be protected. Humans and animals would have a difficult time existing without them. All trees are important to their environment.

Third place essay: Jordan Slonaker

fifth grade, Berta Weathersbee

Trees are Important

Trees are a backbone. Of what though? The ecosystem. Trees provide shelter for small animals. Sometimes when a dog chases a cat, it will go up a tree. If we did not have trees there would be a lot less cats. That is one reason why trees are significant.

There are many interesting facts about trees. The tallest tree is in the state of California. It is three hundred sixty feet tall. The oldest tree is four thousand, six hundred years old. Trees provide oxygen for humans and animals to breathe.

My favorite trees are the California Redwoods. I like them because of how huge they are. Also, because California Redwoods are so big, they can be hollowed out, and a car can be driven through them. It would be exciting to drive through a tree!

Trees are nice because there are so many things people can do with them. Children can climb and build a lookout in a tree. That is very fun! Trees are used to build houses. Paper is also made from trees. Every single tree is useful in some way. That is why they are important.

Grand Prize art contest winner: Dakota Crowson, sixth grade, Gardner Newman Middle School

Dakota’s multimedia winning entry, “Stages of Accident,” was accompanied by this note:

“I named this Stages of Accident because I first drew a picture of a tree, but it was ruined by my sister when she spilt chocolate milk on it. I drew another and pasted bits of the ruined drawing. It was an accident to be art.”