Me standing beside a tree
Trees are mostly considered as the root of survival. It is so called that because you will need the Wood from trees to make Walls, which are used in almost all building recipes.
The foliage too is very important for farmers. Processing them leaves the foliage to rot and eventually decompost into dirt known as Compost. Compost is a crucial item for farmers as there would not be anywhere for the seed to grow without compost. When planting apples in compost, you can also grow Apple Trees!
Trees also play a part in storms. They provide shelter, in case of a storm. Although you may always use buildings for shelter, trees still can provide shelter, unless the Med Foliage of a Small Tree is foraged.
There are three types of trees; the Small Tree, Big Tree and the Apple Tree.
Small Trees are found almost everywhere. They are made of of a tree trunk that is known as Med Wood. Just above the tree trunk is a bunch of Med Foliage. Above it, in the middle is a bunch of Small Foliage. These trees are the most common of all trees.
Big Trees are normally found in islands where Small and Apple Trees are, but not always. For example, there is the Sand Island without any Big Trees at all. They consist of a big tree trunk known as 2 pieces of Large Wood, with a few bundles of Large Foliage on top of it. Unlike Small and Apple Trees, they cannot be foraged and must be cut down with an Axe of any sort.
Apple Trees carry many characteristics with Small Trees, they are made up of the same thing, except that Apples are growing from the Apple Trees. They are mostly found in Apple Island or player-grown anywhere. Apple Trees are mainly used as an everyday diet in Apple Island before moving on to better food. Unlike Small and Big Trees, they have apples growing on them as mentioned, and can be planted in compost.