The Incredible Hidden Life of Trees Seven amazing facts you may not know Trees have captured the human imagination since the beginning of time. Watching their cycles of growth, shedding of leaves, and re-flowering in the spring, people have long perceived trees as powerful symbols of life, death, and renewal. We look to them for inspiration when we need grounding energy, as their roots descending deep into the Earth remind us of our own connection to and dependence on our planet for stability and life. Trees live for hundreds or even thousands of years, and so we revere them as keepers of past secrets and sentinels of the future. Forests cover one-third of the Earth’s landmass. They provide a home to at least 80% of land-based plants, animals, and insects. Trees are one of our main defenses against climate change, as they balance our air by absorbing carbon dioxide from human activities and turning it into oxygen; they also protect watersheds by holding our soil