Trees are one of our greatest natural resources, and the mass destruction of national forests and rainforests around the world, is proving to seriously affect our local and global ecosystems. Trees provide our environment with oxygen, improve the air quality, conserve water, fight erosion, help control our climate, and support our wildlife. Without them, humanity and thousands of species of animals would be hard-pressed to survive for very long.
Deforestation is the removal of trees without adequate reforestation or replanting. There are many causes for deforestation, but many developing countries, such as, Brazil, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Nigeria, Haiti, and more, have greatly reduced their forests and rain forests due to cattle ranching, urban development, farming, fuel, and trade in illegal wood. Some countries in Africa are having serious consequences due to mass tree cutting. The climates temperatures are rising, desert areas are growing larger, and the soil is degrading.
Not only are trees part of our natural ecosystem and the heart and lungs of our planet, they are majestic, beautiful, and appear to be reaching their branches out to the heavens, seeming to touch our souls with their quiet and stately presence, as this poem written by Michael Glaser suggests.
The Presence of Trees
by Michael S. Glaser
I have always felt the living presence
of trees
the forest that calls to me as deeply
as I breathe,
as though the woods were marrow of my bone
as though
I myself were tree, a breathing, reaching
arc of the larger canopy
beside a brook bubbling to foam
like the one
deep in these woods,
that calls
that whispers home
A few small things we can all do to help reduce the destruction of trees: using recycled paper (42% of commercial wood harvesting is used to make paper), recycling newspapers and paper products, buying used furniture, paying bills online, buying reusable bags for shopping, stopping paper bill and bank statements (sign up for online statements), using e-mail instead of sending letters, or using an online phone directory instead of a paper phone book.
If you would like to support organizations whose purpose is to keep our planets trees and forests alive and thriving, you can visit the web sites listed below for more information:
Trees, as well as all our natural resources, deserve our love, respect, and care, for our generation and all generations to come.
Voices for Freedom 