12x04 - Once There Was a Tree

[bunniefuu]

♪ Reading rainbow ♪

♪ Butterfly in the sky ♪

♪ I can go twice as high ♪

♪ Take a look ♪

♪ It's in a book ♪

♪ A reading rainbow ♪

♪ I can go anywhere ♪

♪ Friends to know ♪

♪ And ways to grow ♪

♪ A reading rainbow ♪

♪ I can be anything ♪

♪ Take a look ♪

♪ It's in a book ♪

♪ A reading rainbow ♪

♪ Reading rainbow ♪

Hi.

Aren't trees magnificent?

I love to be
surrounded by them.

They're so majestic
and beautiful.

Trees are one of the most
important living things

On earth.

They provide us
with oxygen and shade.

Their roots hug the soil
and hold it in place.

They drink up rain water
from the ground...

And recycle that water
back into the air.

[Bird caws]

And they make great homes
for animals, too.

Owls can hole up
in a room with a view.

Since the owl's color
matches the tree's,

Trees make good
hiding places for owls.

For other birds,
trees have built-in restaurants

Where they can dine on bugs.

Taking home a bite for the kids
is convenient.

Birds nest in trees,
and their family is close.

Sometimes bees,
hornets, and wasps

Make nests
or hives in trees,

Usually up high
on a sturdy branch.

A tree frog's home is
in a tree.

Its toes are like
suction cups,

Sticking to bark and leaves.

A branch feels cozy
to a snake,

Who can bend its body
around a tree

And slide wherever
it wants to go.

To a squirrel,

Who can balance
on the slenderest twig,

A tree is the perfect place
for a snack.

Many animals depend on trees
for shelter, safety, and food.

There are other ways
to benefit from trees.

What in your life
comes from a tree?

Medicine comes
from the roots of trees.

Bowling pins.

A toothpick.

Oranges and apples.

The air we breathe.

A birdhouse.

Shade.

My violin.

Drumsticks.

Maple syrup
from maple trees.

Chapter books,
encyclopedias.

Chocolate.

An eraser is made
out of rubber from a tree.

Trees touch our lives
in so many ways

That people want to know
more about them.

Here's a scientist
who leaves no leaf unturned

When it comes to
understanding trees.

Her laboratory
is the forest itself.

Her name is meg lowman.

To her, there is nothing
quite so mysterious

Or fascinating as a tree.

She clips samples
to examine individual trees

And also uses them to study
the forest as a community.

[Meg lowman]
when I walk through the forest,

I get so excited.

There are
many things to see--

Leaves in their amazing
shapes, forms, and colors,

The way branches look
up against the sky.

It's just incredible
to realize

How trees grow
and how they live.

I feel fortunate
to be part of this forest.

Here's an example of how useful
trees are to animals.

When this tree was standing,
woodpeckers made a home in it.

When they left,
squirrels moved in.

The tree fell over,
leaving some nuts in the hole.

[Levar burton]
it's one thing

To study the forest
from the ground,

But meg's interest
is the treetops.

The only way to get there
is to go up.

She straps herself
into safety equipment

And climbs a special ladder
she built to take her there.

Almost there.

It's a long climb,
but it's worth it.

Phew!

This is one of the most
beautiful places in the world.

It's only up here that I can
combine a love of trees

With special research--
on the treetops.

We're now 75 feet
above the forest floor.

We're in a place

Where very few people
have ever been.

[Burton]
meg's treetop laboratory
is like a tree house

With two platforms
and a walkway.

Everything is securely bolted
into two strong oak trees

In a way that won't
hurt the trees

And will keep
the scientists safe.

It may look rickety,
but it's very strong.

To meg,
it's a dream come true--

A way to discover secrets
of a world usually hidden.

Leaves between the top
and bottom of the tree

Are really different.

I clipped this branch
from the top.

Those leaves are smaller
than these from the bottom,

Or shade part,
of an oak tree.

These small leaves
from the top

Contain a lot more chemicals
and are a lot tougher

Than these larger leaves from
the lower parts of the tree.

[Burton]
meg comes here to study leaves

Because something amazing
happens in them.

Trees manufacture food
in their leaves.

Plants are
the only living things

That can make
their own food,

And their leaves
do the work.

Underground, tree roots
collect water and nutrients

From the soil.

The tree sucks them up,
like drinking through a straw.

This nourishment travels
up each branch into the leaves.

When the sun shines
on the leaves,

The leaves use the sun's energy

To help manufacture food.

This is called photosynthesis.

The food is distributed

To all the parts of the tree.

The cycle begins again

And goes on and on,

Keeping the tree
alive and growing

For up to a few hundred years.

Ever since I was a child,
I've loved trees.

Studying them
from 100 feet up

Has made
a special difference

To how I appreciate
and enjoy trees.

[Burton]
scientists like meg lowman

Go to great lengths
and heights

To probe the secrets
of trees.

Their research
will help us understand

How to maintain and protect

One of the earth's
most vital resources.

In a forest,

You see trees in many different
stages of life--

From tiny saplings
like these

To towering giants like this.

Some trees
have fallen and d*ed,

But the life cycle of a tree
doesn't end there.

This book tells how a tree
remains part of the forest

Long after it's d*ed.

It's called
once there was a tree.

Once there was a tree.

It had grown
for many years,

And now it was growing old.

Dark clouds
swept across the sky,

Rain fell,

Thunder roared,

And a lightning bolt
split the tree in two.

A woodsman came upon
the broken tree

And sawed it down

So that only
the stump remained.

Soon, a bark beetle
with long feelers settled in.

The beetle loved the stump

And laid her eggs
under its bark.

The eggs hatched,
and tiny maggots emerged.

All summer long,

They gnawed tunnels
in the bark.

Winter came,
and they slept.

When they awoke
in the spring

With long feelers
of their own,

It was time to fly away.

But the tree stump
was not deserted for long.

With all the entrances
and exits the maggots had made,

Here was the perfect place
for ants to live.

One ant brought a leaf,

Another, a twig,

And another,
a grain of sand.

They cleared out the tunnels
and made the stump their home.

A bear approached
the tree stump,

Sniffed at it,

And sharpened her claws
on the bark.

The stump was hers,
like everything else around.

Even the ants in the stump
were hers,

And no other bear
would dare disturb them.

A titmouse flew down,
landing on the stump.

She spotted a caterpillar
and pecked at it.

Now the caterpillar was hers.

The ants were hers, too,
and so was the tree stump.

No other birds
would come near.

One rainy day, a frog found
shelter in a hole

In the tree stump.

Time and weather
had dug these holes,

Which would protect others
who also settled in.

The warm sun
dried the tree stump,

And soon, a new occupant
had moved in--an earwig.

Liking nothing better
than the shade,

He crept under the bark
to sleep.

A man walking in the woods

Saw the tree stump.

He sat on it to rest.

Now the tree stump
was his.

The man thought
he owned the forest,

So why not the tree stump?

But who really owns
the tree stump?

The bark beetle
that gnaws tunnels inside it,

The ants that travel
through the tunnels,

The earwig
that sleeps under its bark,

Or the bear that
sharpens her claws on it?

Does it belong to the titmouse
that lands upon it,

The frog that finds shelter
in its holes,

Or the man who believes
he owns the forest?

Maybe the tree stump
belongs to us all.

The tree stump
gets older and older.

The sun warms it.

The rain cools it.

Soon, it begins to rot.

Night comes, and the forest
is cast in moonlight.

What remains of the tree stump
glows in the dark.

Now the tree stump is gone.

A new tree has grown
in its place.

The tree belongs to us all

Because it grows
from the earth

That is home for us all.

Do you have a favorite tree--

A huge oak
on your street

Or a willow in a park?

My favorite tree
doesn't live near me.

I saw it in vermont.

It's a sugar maple tree.

Once a year,
you can tap into it

For a secret
that's very sweet.

Toward the end of winter,

When icicles start to drip
and snow melts into rivers,

Maple trees start
to make sugar.

The sweet sap flows down
through the tree

Into the buckets of anyone
who taps the trees.

Maples only produce sugar
for a short time.

There's work to do--
clearing paths

And gathering wood
for the sugaring fires.

Families and neighbors
work to get everything ready.

Trees are tapped by making
a small hole through the bark.

The hole does not
harm the tree.

A metal spout is placed
in the hole

And hammered in
until it's tight.

Then a bucket is hung
under the spout.

A lid is placed on top
to keep out rain and snow.

[Sap hitting bottom of pail]

The sweet maple sap
drips into the bucket.

Maple sugar can only be made
in northeast north america

Where sugar maple trees grow

And cold winter nights thaw
into warmer spring days.

Within a short time,

The buckets are full,
and the sap is collected.

The sap is brought back
to the sugarhouse

Where it's boiled
until the water evaporates,

Leaving behind
only the sugar,

Which we call maple syrup.

During sugaring time
in the northeast,

Fires burn
in every sugarhouse.

The steam evaporates,
and bubbling sap can be heard.

On top of each sugarhouse
is a cupola, or vent.

Clouds of steam escape
into the cold air.

When the syrup reaches
the right temperature,

The sugarmaker checks
the syrup's consistency

By dipping in
a metal scoop.

If the liquid holds together,
the syrup is almost done.

Some of it is poured out,

And its thickness
is scientifically measured.

This batch looks
just about right.

While it's hot,
the syrup is filtered

To remove impurities.

Then it's poured
into bottles

We can enjoy all year long.

And late next winter
in maple country,

The process will start
all over again.

Did you know
there were trees on earth

Before there were people
or animals or dinosaurs?

If your interest in trees
is branching out,

Here are some books
to leaf through.

But don't take
my word for it.

Hi. I'm peter marino.

I just read
the tremendous tree book,

A great book
for nature lovers.

It explains
a lot about trees

And how they reproduce,
or make more trees.

It shows how to tell trees apart
by their leaves.

Throughout the book,
there are all kinds

Of cartoon animals
to guide you.

The smallest tree is
an arctic birch.

The biggest tree
is the giant sequoia.

It weighs 2,000 tons.

How they ever found out
how much it weighs,

I don't know!

Trees are very important.

This book gives you good reasons
to preserve them.

Pick up a copy.

Hi. I'm chen li.

I just read
a beautiful story

About a friendship
between a boy and his tree.

It's red leaf,
yellow leaf.

The boy tells the story
of his little tree.

Long before he was born,

The wind blew seeds
from a tree to the ground.

In the springtime,

The sun makes
the seeds sprout.

When the trees
are big enough,

Off to the nursery
they go.

That's where the boy
and his father pick his tree.

They take the tree home
and plant it.

The boy really loves his tree.

Now I want
a tree to be my friend.

I'll plant one.

Here's a book
that's special.

It's fun to read
and beautiful to look at.

The best part is,
you can almost sing the story.

That's because it's a rhyme
that goes in circles.

It begins with one tree.

On this tree, there is a bough.

On this bough,
there is a twig.

On this twig, there is a nest.

In this nest,
there is a bird.

In the end,

There is a little boy

Who plants an acorn
in the ground.

This is a wonderful story
with pretty pictures.

Read it or sing it
to a friend.

I'm rachell, recommending
the tree in the wood.

[Chirping]

[Burton]
trees...

By harry behn.

Trees are
the kindest things I know.

They do no harm.
They simply grow

And spread a shade
for sleepy cows

And gather birds
among their boughs.

They give us fruit
in leaves above

And wood to make
our houses of

And leaves to burn
on halloween

And in the spring,
new buds of green.

They are the first,
when day's begun,

To touch the beams
of morning sun.

They are the last
to hold the light

When evening changes
into night.

And when a moon floats
on the sky,

They hum a drowsy lullaby

Of sleepy children
long ago.

Trees are
the kindest things I know.

Just look at this acorn.

It is amazing to me
that this tiny seed

Holds all the promise
of what an oak tree can be.

One day, your branches
will be full of life.

Your leaves will sweeten
the air we breathe.

We're all counting on you.

I'll see you next time.

I'll see you, too.

♪ Butterfly
in the sky ♪

♪ I can go
twice as high ♪

♪ Take a look ♪

♪ It's in a book ♪

♪ A reading rainbow ♪

♪ A reading rainbow ♪

♪ A reading rainbow ♪

♪ A reading rainbow ♪

♪ A reading rainbow ♪♪

Today's reading rainbow books
are...

Once there was a tree
by natalia romanova,

Pictures by gennady spirin,

Published by dial books
for young readers,

A division of penguin books
usa inc.

The tremendous tree book

By barbara brenner
and may garelick,

Illustrated by fred brenner,

Published by
boyds mills press, inc.

Red leaf, yellow leaf
by lois ehlert,

Published by
harcourt brace & co.

The tree in the wood,

Adapted and illustrated
by christopher manson,

Published by
north-south books, inc.