There is no single kind of flood, or flood damage. In this article, only temporary fresh water inundations and associated tree damage will be reviewed. Probably the most limiting, and most immediate, aspect of flooding on trees and their essential resources is the lack of oxygen to roots and soil. Poor aeration of the root zone and the suffocation of living tissues generate many direct and indirect problems. Understanding how oxygen is used by the tree and in the soil can help direct preservation and maintenance activities.
Oxygen acts as an electron accepter.
The tree hands-off electrons to oxygen. It is the flow of electrons from high concentrations inside the tree, to low concentrations in our oxygen atmosphere that allows aerobic life to survive. See Table 1 . Trees need oxygen to live. This can be a problem for trees because they have no circulatory system to carry oxygen to every cell.