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The Importance Of Trees!!
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By Douglas Musiringofa
Victoria Falls
Zimbabwe,

Trees are an important aspect of human life on a daily basis thus the importance of keeping them safe and not to cut them down. Notwithstanding the debt we owe to trees, their emotive power, and their importance to other forms of life, the forested area of the earth is steadily being depleted. This is leading to the degradation of the environment and the extinction of many species.

Trees are the largest and longest living organisms on earth. They are able to take water and salts out of the earth and lift them up to the leaves, sometimes over 400 ft above. By means of photosynthesis the leaves combine the water and salts with carbon dioxide from the air to produce the nutrients which feed the tree. In this process, as well as wood, trees create many chemicals, seeds and fruit of great utility to man. Trees also remove carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas from the air, that we are all mostly concerned about.

“The net cooling effect of a young, healthy tree is equivalent to ten room-size air conditioners operating 20 hours a day.” The -U.S. Department of Agriculture says. It is also estimated that a fully grown and mature tree may supply a family of up to 5 people with clean and fresh oxygen. imagine if you could cut down a fully mature tree in other words it simply means that you have reduced the life span of a family of 4 (four).

In the African community, trees have also been used for traditional purposes and we highly respect that. This will also give a reason for many people to plant and care for trees as much as they would like to use them.

We get all the books and papers from trees and forget that the knowledge that we have attained we got from a tree. The planting of trees means improved water quality, resulting in less runoff and erosion. This allows more recharging of the ground water supply. Wooded areas help prevent the transport of sediment and chemicals into streams. As human beings we need to realize that almost three quarters of our food comes from grass and trees.

While trees are important, it has been realized that some trees or rather herbs are not good for some trees which are known as the (Allien Invasive Species) such as Lantana Camara. However this does not give every individual a right to cut down trees and claim that they are invasive species which l believe there are people who study to identify such trees, some volunteer and may go ahead and remove them.

The very air we breathe is improved by the presence of trees. In order to feed themselves, trees absorb harmful chemicals such as carbon monoxide and in turn give off oxygen. As well, they filter and trap pollutants such as smoke, dust, and ash making our air cleaner.

Where water is concerned, trees not only absorb water - preventing flooding, but also help disperse rainfall over a more even area. As well, by retaining water, trees help reduce the amount of topsoil the runs off into our sewers and streams. Leaves on the ground, keep moisture close to the ground aiding growth and traps chemicals keeping them out of lakes and rivers.

On a larger scale, trees maintain our global environment in ways that we are just beginning to understand. By acting as enormous carbon sinks, trees absorb massive amounts of carbon dioxide from our atmosphere. If trees did not perform this vital function, there would be little to mitigate the effects of global warming caused by the Greenhouse Effect.

"The very air we breathe is improved by the presence of trees." From a book by Dr. Seuss

The importance of trees seems apparent when one tries to imagine a world without them and there lets give the best we can to a better, healthy and pleasant environment.

I thank you and hope that this article will go a long way in changing many's thoughts about trees.

May peace prevail forever.



July 21, 2008 | 9:18 AM Comments  0 comments

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