Where does the mass of a tree (trunk, limbs, leaves, etc…) come from?

Question

I am just super curious...doesnt have to be in too much depth

Answer 1

Curiosity is a good thing.

Let's think about this. Trees are living organisms.

They consume nutrients and water (eat and drink). They break some molecules down and build others up (metabolize), just like people do. They do this to get energy and materials for what they need to do: live, breathe, reproduce, grow...

This stuff is what you already know about plants in general and trees in particular. Trees get their nutrients and water from the soil, using their roots. Trees breathe and sweat through their leaves, and use leaves to catch the sunlight to use in their chloroplasts (photosynthesis). The tree's wood is laid down kind of like bone is, for structural support. Wood also stores some of the tree's energy (that is why it burns).

So the short answer is that the tree develops its mass (trunk, limbs, leaves, etc...) like the rest of us do, by using nutrients, water and energy to first maintain its existing mass, and then using some of the extra to add new mass (growth).