Recent reports from the Brazilian government have shown a spike in deforestation in the Amazon over the last year – a jump of 29%. The alarming spike had come after three years of improvement, with more trees being planted than were cut down.
With half of all deforestation due to agriculture and farming, it can be hard to stop the growth of these vital food supplies for rural and economically struggling regions in defense of a small section of rainforest.
But trees are so vital to the environment that even a year’s increase in tree felling can harm the environment.
So just to remind everyone why trees are so important, here are 10 great things that trees have to offer!
Trees Help Combat Global Warming As A Result Of Human Activity
In the fight against the increasingly fragile ozone layer, trees are the first line of defense. They absorb carbon dioxide into their roots and leaves, helping to negate man’s damaging practices that are harming the environment.
Why Trees Are Important?
Help Save Governments And Corporations Money
With trees helping to slow the effect of global warming, governments and major companies are planting trees in mass to help reduce green and emissions taxes. More money saved means more money for healthcare and developing major transportation routes.
Produce Oxygen
It would be impossible to sustain human life on Earth without trees. These giant plants produce enough oxygen in one summer to allow a human to breathe for ten whole years.
Trees Are Air Filters
Trees are effectively giant air filters. They absorb harmful gases like carbon monoxide and sulfur dioxide which in turn reduces heat.
Help Fight Water Pollution
Trees that are packed together (such as in a wood or forest) will absorb a lot of water before it directly hits the ground. The water filters through the leaves and trunk, helping to remove pollutants before the moisture hits the ground and makes the sea.
Stop Soil Erosion
The vast root network of a tree helps to compact soil on slopes and mountainsides. This helps habitats develop around some of the most challenging terrains on the planet.
Increase How Much Your House Is Worth
Well-established grounds with mature trees add privacy, reduce noise pollution from surrounding roads, and make everything look nicer. As a result, trees can add as much as 15% to the value of a house!
Help Science
The apple fell from the tree, and the idea of gravity was born…
Help To Clean The Soil
Trees absorb dangerous chemicals not only from the air but from the surrounding soil as well. The process is called phytoremediation, which also sees trees filter sewage and the chemicals and animal waste produced at farms to help surrounding plant and animal life flourish.
Trees Provide A Home
I’m not just talking tree-houses. Thousands of species live in the treetops, making their homes in the uppermost branches of rainforests and woods around the planet. Providing safety from larger ground predators, the destruction of trees leaves many species at risk of extinction.
Unfortunately, despite their many benefits, trees are still being culled at an alarming rate, and not just in the Amazon. In suburbs, they have fallen prey to residents using copper nails to kill trees to increase the amount of daylight or improve their views.
If each tree can provide enough oxygen for 10 people to breathe for a whole year, then it may be worth rethinking our approach to inner-city trees and plant life as well.
