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Hi! I'm Needles, an Evergreen Leader. I help evergreen trees reach for the sky!

Evergreen trees grow in both warm and cold climates and stay green all year long. Coniferous evergreens such as the pine, spruce, and fir are special because they are strong enough to survive in boreal forests; which are in the coldest regions of the world. They shelter their seeds in cones and have needle leaves that help them live in cold and harsh climates. The sap inside the needles also helps keep them from freezing.


The trunk of a tree is called the "leader." Trunks deliver nutrients from the roots to the top of the tree Branches follow the leader by acting like miniature trunks and carrying nutrients to leaves. Tree leaves contain a special green chemical called chlorophyll that turns sunlight into food. Through a process called photosynthesis, tree leaves use the energy from the sun to change carbon dioxide and water into sugar for tree food. In autumn, most trees stop creating food and their leaves turn colors before falling to the ground. However, the needle-like leaves on coniferous evergreen trees stay green and produce food during winter.

Most cold climate evergreen trees are pyramid shaped. Their shape helps protect them from broken branches when heavy snow covers the forests. When the soil is frozen, it is difficult to nourish the tree with minerals and nutrients. As needles drop to the forest floor, they decay and are absorbed by the soil. Decomposers, such as bacteria and fungi, consume these leaves and transport them through the soil as nutrients for new growth. This relationship is called symbiotic, meaning that it is beneficial for both partners.

All trees need sunlight, water, air, and soil to survive. As an Evergreen Leader, I work all year to make sure evergreen trees have all the right environmental factors to grow and thrive in a healthy way.

Very treely yours,




1 Tree food


3 Trees that stay green all year long

6 The shape of many evergreen trees

7 Pine, spruce, and fir are__evergreens

8 Process that turns sunlight into food

9 The trunk of a tree


1 Relationship that is beneficial for both partners

2 Bacteria and fungi

4 Special green chemical

5 Miniature trunks that carry nutrients to leaves

ACROSS: 1. Sugar 3. Evergreen 6. Pyramid 7. Coniferous 8. Photosynthesis, 9. Leader

Down: 1. Symbiotic 2. Decomposers 4. Chlorophyll 5. Branches

COPYRIGHT 2011 American Forests
Copyright 2011 Gale, Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

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Title Annotation:Kids Page; evergreen trees
Publication:American Forests
Geographic Code:1USA
Date:Jan 1, 2011
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