Monday, March 14, 2005

Nail down your carbon debt with a tree

Trees modify climate, both the micro climate in their immediate vicinity, by providing shade and windbreaks, and also world climate by absorbing carbon dioxide.

Trees turn atmospheric carbon dioxide into solid wood, and wood can be preserved for a very long time, if it is made beautiful by the skills of woodworkers.

Wood is a structural material which is not only durable and workable, but also beautiful. The more beautifully the wood is worked, the longer people will value and protect it and the longer that parcel of CO2 will be locked up. So the artistry carpenters joiners and wood carvers helps to save the planet.

Trees protect against soil erosion and the spread of deserts.

Forests carry moisture by their transpiration cycle to nourish continental interiors that would otherwise be arid land.

Trees provide a renewable source of energy - firewood - for villagers in most developing countries.

Trees give food to people, food to domestic animals and food and habitat to our wild fellow creatures.

Trees give medicines to mankind, some of which are known, many more that are not yet understood.

Last but not least, forests provide spiritual shelter for ourselves. Is there anyone, no matter how urbanised, who has not experienced the healing sense of peace and awe that time spent in a forest can bring?

Therefore, if each of us plants the right number of trees each year, and in the right way, on a community scale, not an industrial scale, we can maintain the atmospheric carbon balance, and at the same time, increase the amount of forest cover on the planet.

No comments: