How Trees Make Oxygen

Trees are amazing oxygen factories. They take in carbon dioxide from the air and use sunlight to turn it into food. As they make food, they release oxygen. This process is called photosynthesis, and it is one of the most important processes on Earth.

Photosynthesis

Photosynthesis happens mostly in a tree's leaves. The leaves absorb sunlight and take in carbon dioxide through tiny pores. Water travels up from the roots. The tree uses sunlight energy to combine water and carbon dioxide into sugar for food. Oxygen is released as a byproduct.

Trees and Clean Air

A single large tree can produce enough oxygen for two to four people for a year. Trees also clean the air by absorbing pollution and dust. Forests are sometimes called the lungs of the Earth. This is why planting trees is one of the best things we can do for the environment.

Fun Facts

• A single large tree can produce enough oxygen for two to four people per year.
• Trees absorb carbon dioxide, which helps fight climate change.
• The Amazon Rainforest produces about 20 percent of the world's oxygen.

Did You Know?

Most of the oxygen we breathe does not come from trees. It actually comes from tiny ocean plants called phytoplankton that produce over 50 percent of Earth's oxygen!