10 Reasons To Protect Trees

Trees and forests are vital for the world and they cover nearly one-third of the world’s land mass. Trees support a huge amount of biodiversity, they are carbon sinks and a source of food and building materials. Trees are under threat from human activities and climate change and forest conservation is vital. 

protect trees

If you need convincing on this fact, here are ten good reasons why our trees should be protected…

1. Trees help to combat greenhouse gases

Trees help to combat climate change by providing shade as the world gets hotter and by removing carbon from the atmosphere and storing it in their trunks. Trees effectively remove carbon and other pollutants from the atmosphere

protect treesIt is said that trees remove 30% of the pollutants from the atmosphere every year and the older and more mature the tree, the greater its capacity for absorbing pollutants. Scientists estimate that trees absorb just under 2 billion tons of CO² every year – and this amount equates to 5% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. A single large tree can store five tone of CO² during its lifetime.

Trees are under threat from agricultural expansion, as forests are cleared to make way for crops and livestock. Large construction projects rely on huge supplies of timber and this has led to unsustainable amounts of logging and global warming presents a huge threat, even though trees help combat its effects. 

These include agricultural expansion (land for crops and livestock), large-scale construction projects, unsustainable logging, global warming, and other threats.  

According to  the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), forests around the world shrunk by 130 million hectares in the 25 years between 1990-2015 – this size is comparable to France and Germany put together. Defortestation has accelerated since then, especially in Africa and South America and at this rate, all tropical forests will have disappeared by the end of the 21st century.

2. Trees purify the air

Trees play a key role in purifying the air that we breathe by absorbing carbon dioxide and other dangerous gases and replacing them with oxygen. Forests also help to balance the levels of oxygen, carbon dioxide and humidity in the air. Trees also trap polluting particles such as gust, ash and pollen.

The Hitchcock Woods Foundation states a clear and powerful statistic on its website- 

‘Trees produce enough oxygen on each acre for 18 people every day’.

3. Trees preserve wildlife

protect treesTrees in forests are home to 80% of the world’s known living species and actively promote biodiversity. On its website, Agence de Francais de Development explains the importance of forests  –  

‘a single square metre of forest floor contains an average of 1,000 different species of invertebrates. In the Amazon, a new animal or plant species is discovered every two days. Meanwhile, on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, 400 new plant species have been identified since 1995.

It’s estimated that one in eight species will disappear in the forthcoming years and this will be the world’s 6th mass extinction – the difference being that this one will have been caused by man.

4. Trees ensure good water quality.

Water that has been filtered by a forest is very nearly perfect water and 75% of the world’s freshwater is provided by forests. A study was undertaken by the French National Institute for Agronomic Research (INRA)  and it was found that water that is filtered by trees is more than ten times cleaner than water recovered from land with crops. Forests are free of fertilisers and pesticides and there are many microorganisms living the the ground near trees that are very effective water filters.

5. Forests provide homes and livelihoods

About 1.6 billion people — including more than 2,000 indigenous cultures — depend on forests for their homes and livelihoods.

6. Trees provide us with foods

protect treesTrees provide a range of healthy foods including fruit, leafy vegetables, nuts, seeds and edible oils that can be successfully used in numerous nutritional meals. Forests are also the source of many other foods including edible plants, insects and mushrooms.

7. Forests can replace fossil fuels

Trees play a key role in replacing fossil fuels such as coal, gas and oil with biomass fuels such as wood and biogas. Not only do they replace them, but both wood and biogas are renewable fuels and have a much smaller carbon footprint.

8. Trees save energy

Trees carefully placed around buildings can be very efficient energy savers and can help to reduce heating and/or cooling bills. Deciduous trees are ideal for providing welcome shade in the hot summer months and when they shed their leaves in the autumn, they let the sunshine permeate. A line of evergreen trees will prove an effective windbreak all year round.

9. Trees prevent soil erosion

Trees can help prevent soil erosion both by their complex root system which increases the permeability of the soil and their fallen leaves create a protective layer over the ground. This reduces the amount of surface water run off after rainfall and reduces the effects of wind erosion of the soil. With the trees holding more water in situ, there are smaller amounts of chemicals finding their way into streams and rivers. 

10. Trees enhance mental health

protect treesIt has been proven that trees in an urban setting can really help mental health as they add colour, interesting shapes and character to towns and cities. Trees are cleverly used by urban architects to define open spaces and to provide privacy as well as soften the stark outlines of masonry and glass.

Trees can positively impact peoples’ moods and emotions and being able to walk amongst trees in an urban setting can be very beneficial as this will promote feelings of relaxation and well-being.

Why not give a gift for the future?

Trees are lovely to enjoy and so crucial for the healthy future of our planet, why not give someone the ultimate gift – a tree? The Woodland Trust offers the chance to dedicate a tree as a gift – https://shop.woodlandtrust.org.uk/dedications 

Tredom also offers a range of exotic trees such as mango, baobab and cacao to have planted as a gift for the future that will benefit both people and the environment – https://www.tredom.net/en/plant-a-tree  

If you don’t enjoy wrapping presents or never know what to give, then this idea is definitely a winner!Â