Trees play a variety of symbolic roles in Scripture, including a major part in the account of man’s sin against God, and Christ’s payment for that sin by His death on the cross, so that man might be credited with Christ’s righteousness. The symbol of Adam’s sin was the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which he ate in defiance of God’s command. Consequently, God fulfilled His covenant promise and banned Adam and his descendants from eating the fruit of the tree of life. By God’s grace, however, He sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, the Shoot of Jesse, to die on a tree (the cross), so that those who believe in His name might eat from the tree of eternal life.

Out of the ground the Lord God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. Genesis 2:9

Photosynthesis is the chemical process used by trees and plants to convert the sun’s energy into food, releasing oxygen as a by-product. When sunlight hits the palisade cells, which are like tiny solar collectors on the surface of a green leaf, the chlorophyll in the cells changes water and carbon dioxide (which we exhale) into sugar and oxygen. The oxygen is released into the air (which we inhale), and the simple sugar in the leaf feeds the plant and a host of life-forms on the food chain above it. Caterpillars and other insects eat the leaves, shrews eat the caterpillars, owls eat the shrews, and so on. Thus we see a highly complex system of complete interdependence and perfect design. Scientists have discovered a great deal about the intricate workings of photosynthesis but have never been able to reproduce it in the laboratory.

You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created. Revelation 4:11The chlorophyll that is responsible for photosynthesis is also responsible for a leaf’s green color. The leaf has other colors as well, but they are hidden by the chlorophyll. When autumn approaches, however, and the shorter days and cooler nights cause the chlorophyll to break down, the hidden pigments are revealed. The variety of colors in different deciduous broad-leaved trees is determined by which pigments are most plentiful in their leaves.

Sing, O heavens, for the Lord has done it! Shout, you lower parts of the earth; Break forth into singing, you mountains, O forest, and every tree in it! Isaiah 44:23

Plants account for more than 95 percent of the earth’s living organisms, and the largest members of the plant kingdom are trees. Some, like these giant redwoods, grow to be more than three hundred feet tall and are over three thousand years old.

Photo Locations: 1. Redwood National Park, California 2. Deschutes National Forest, Oregon 3. Upper Peninsula, Michigan 4. Upstate New York 5. Kananaskas Country, Alberta, Canada 6. Redwood National Park, California