Tree lungs?

[silverscot]

Someone told me a tree breaths through the lower part of its trunk. That sounds ridiculous. Can someone explain to me why a tree will die when you build up dirt around it? Does building up dirt around the trunk simply reduce the amount of water and (air?) available to the roots?

 

[TreePointer]

We are all taught at some point in our regular schooling that the leaves are involved in respiration and food production, and roots take in nutrients and provide anchoring, but there's a lot more to it. Tree roots take in a lot of things, including oxygen. If you put a thick layer of dirt, mulch, chips, plastic, etc. over the roots, it can decrease oxygen intake.

 

[ch woodchuck]

''Someone told me a tree breaths through the lower part of its trunk''
Could have been talking about lenticals...

A lenticel is an opening that allows gases to be exchanged between air and the inner tissues of a plant. Lenticels can be commonly found in tree bark and on the outside of fruitsTake a lot of soil up the trunk to kill it....:msp_rolleyes:
Tree roots need to breathe..They transpire carbon dixode through the soil to the atmosphere.Too much soil over the roots and the process fails.The soil around the area goes anerobic(no oxygen)And the CD becomes toxic.