The tree, a lumber supplier

A tree is a perennial plant with a straight up woody trunk and branches at certain height
from the ground.

Three main parts of a tree are:

The crown: A set of branches, leaves, flowers and fruits arranged in the upper part of
the tree. There, buds are located in the tip of the branchlets that allow the
tree to increase height.
The stem: Woody part of the tree between the ground and the first branches, conical
or cylindrical in shape. This part supplies lumber that is the main raw
material for the forest products, such as, timber, plywood, paper, boards,
etc.
The root: Part of the tree under the ground, supports the whole plant and at the same
time absorbs water and nutrients from the soil.

Around the world, trees are included in two main groups, according the climate zones:

1) Softwood
Tree species that grow in homogeneous coniferous forests located in zones of temperate
to cold climates. These trees reach an average height around 30 m and average diameter of
80 cm. The stem is straight and conical from bottom up to the top apex, coated by
branches containing many needle- or scale-like leaves. The fruit is a cone drupe coated by
small scales. The stem and leaves contain resin, thus these species are known as resinous
trees. The wood is homogenous and it has many uses, such as housing, paper, boards,
furniture, packaging, fuelwood and charcoal. Annual growth rings can be easily distinguished
in the cross section of the stem. Main species are pines, firs and cypresses.

2) Hardwood
Tree species found in heterogeneous rain forests situated in very humid and hot climate
zones. Average tree height is around 40 m, and the average diameter is about 100 cm. The
shape of the trunk varies from straight and conical to twisted and amorphous. The leafy
canopy develops from a certain height of the trunk and holds many branches and
branchlets. Leaves are flat and broad, so these species are also known as broadleaved
species. The fruit varies in shape and structure, some are berries and some are drupes.
Most of them are edible. Due to the changing weather in the tropical zones, it is no
possible to differentiate the annual growth rings in the cross section of the trunk. The
wood is heterogeneous, varying in quality, thus few tree species are valuable to forest
industry and the most are lesser known species. Main valuable hardwood species are
mahogany, Spanish cedar, ceiba, ishpingo, tornillo, virola, among others.

Inglés Técnico 2015_I J.M. Espíritu

 TEST

Full Name: .............................................................................. Date: .................................

ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS

1. What is the reading about?

2. The main difference between softwoods and hardwoods is in:

a) The fruit
b) The climate
c) The trunk
d) The leaves

3. The root is located in the middle part of the tree and support branches.
(T) (F)

4) The part of the tree used for timber production is:

a) The trunk
b) The leaves
c) The root
d) The flowers

4. Pines are …………………………… species, whereas Mahogany is a hardwood ……………………………….

5. We can find softwood and hardwood species in the Peruvian Amazon.

(T) (F)

6. The meaning of “rainy” in Spanish is:

a) Lluvia
b) Húmedo
c) Mojado
d) Lluvioso

7. Give the Spanish meaning of:

a) Bud :
b) Lumber :
c) Fuelwood :
d) Weather :

8. List the various uses of the forest species.

Inglés Técnico 2015_I J.M. Espíritu