Planting Trees…
Here in Atlantic Canada, we can step out our back door and see the beautiful woodlands coloured in October tints. It’s almost possible to forget the unseasonably hot, humid summer brought to us by Climate Change. Almost…
Sometimes, my friend, it’s hard to imagine that it’s been a mere two centuries. Two hundred years since greedy industrialism began it’s massive devastation of our green Earth.
Planting Trees: Facts About Deforestation – It’s been going on for thousands of years!
In 1815, Ernst Moritz Arndt published his passionate and prophetic ON THE CARE AND CONSERVATION OF THE FORESTS. Moritz represented the Old Right. The landowners who understood the love and connectiveness with their “woodlands and soil.” He launched an attack against the new forces of greed, corruption and factory-centered Progress.
Arndt condemned in the strongest terms the massive deforestation going on in western Europe. Including his beloved Black Forest of Germany. He explained his age-old Conservative beliefs of understanding “Nature in a necessary connectedness and interrelationship. Where all things are equally important. Shrub, worm, plant, human, stone. Nothing first or last, but all one single unity.”
He called for an immediate replanting of our forests. Planting Trees. A return to wilderness places.
Replanting our forests still remains one answer to this mechanized assault on our Sacred Lands.
Today, in Canada, replanting means more than just making unnatural “Tree Plantations.” More than just replacing “pulpwood” trees like fir and pine trees. But planting fruit trees like apple and cherry, as well as our national tree, the red maple.
“Plant a tree” has become an increasingly heard cry across the nation. And it’s being heard and acted on worldwide.
Here, in his own words, is a guest blog from Rajesh Makhija. He gives us a view of what is going on in his native India.
“PLANTING TREES: Plant More Trees. Save the Planet. Gift with Grow-trees to reinstate our Forest Cover.” A Guest Blog by Rajesh Makhija.
Planting trees is good news for the environment. And can be an effective way to curb global warming. Many benefits! They absorb CO2, rid the environment of excess pollutants, generate oxygen and raise the bio-diversity index. As well as provide habitats for many different species. And improve quality of life.
Destruction of forests creates numerous environmental catastrophes. Including altering local rainfall patterns, accelerating soil erosion, causing the flooding of rivers. And threatening millions of species of plants, animals and insects with extinction.
Deforestation is contributing almost 20% to the overall greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere. More than the world’s vehicles and aircraft combined.
Approximately 45% of India’s land is degraded primarily due to deforestation. And sustainable agricultural practices, mining and excessive groundwater extraction. India has the 10th largest forest cover in the world at 68 million hectares.
The government’s National Action Plan on climate change involves expanding forest cover from the current 23% to 33% of India’s territory. And to afforest 6 million hectares of degraded forest land. Restoring natural forests and elephant habitats.
Growtrees.com is a Planting Partner of the United Nations Environment Program’s Billion Tree Campaign.
We have taken up this initiative with a purpose to allow people to plant trees. Those who cannot plant trees themselves, but want to do their bit for the environment. We plant different saplings at different locations. These depend on a number of factors like the type of soil at the planting location, the weather conditions throughout the year, irrigation facilities etc.
Growtrees has partnered with local planters who plant saplings on our behalf and maintain them till they are fully grown.
The Arjuna, Babul, Red Sanders and Mangroves are some of the types of trees that we plant. They have a number of benefits. Both for the environment and also for the rural people who sometimes depend on them for their food, fodder and shelter.
The Arjuna tree is usually found growing on river banks or near dry river beds in West Bengal and south and central India. It’s an evergreen tree with yellow flowers and conical leaves. The arjun was introduced into Ayurveda as a treatment for heart disease. Other benefits of the bark of Arjuna include Anti-inflammatory properties, keeping cholesterol and diabetes under check. And treats asthma, fractures and other injuries.
Acacia Nilotica or Babul tree, is 5 m to 20 m high, preferring sandy or sterile regions, with a dry climate during the greater part of the year. The wood of babul is strong, durable, hard, very shock resistant. And is used for construction, mine props, tool handles and carts. It has a high calorific value and makes excellent fuel wood and quality charcoal. The pods of babool are desirable as fodder for cattle. And the leaves, young shoots and young pods are thought to aid milk production.
Planting Trees: Another sapling planted by us is the Red Sanders or Lal Chandan as known in Hindi.
Red sanders is a light-demanding moderate sized tree growing up to 8 m tall with a trunk 50 to 150 cm diameter. The wood of red sanders has been traditionally used as a sacred wood by Hindus. This is found mainly in South India, Sri Lanka, and some parts of Nepal and Pakistan.
Forests in India.
Parts of the tree is used to treat cough, vomiting, fever, hyperdipsia, helminthiasis. Along with diseases of the blood and eye, wounds. This species is listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, because of over-exploitation for its timber.
Mangroves are a family of about 70 different species of trees worldwide typically growing in the tropics and mainly in coastal areas. Mangrove provides habitats for fish, crabs, oysters, lobsters and shrimps. Mangrove plants filter out pollution, stabilize sediments, hold nutrients, protect the shoreline from erosion. And provide food, nesting and nursery areas for a variety of animals.
They are a source of honey, firewood and medicines.
GrowTrees.com is a social business that allows individuals and companies to plant trees from the comfort of their home or office. Started in June 2010, it has planted more than 528,000 trees at over ten different locations in India.
Planting Trees: Plant More Trees – Save Our Earth – Regrow Our Forest Cover…
For More on Restoring Forests: Teddy Roosevelt was warning the World about “Climate Change” and “Deforestation” way back in 1908. It was in his prophetic “Eighth Annual Message to the Senate and House of Representatives” — See Teddy Roosevelt Called it Climate Change in 1908!
Grow Trees is a Tree Planting Partner of the United Nations Environment Program’s Billion Tree Campaign. It’s an Official Partner of WWF’s Cities for Forests Campaign. And the Official Partner of United Nations Decade on Biodiversity. “Make a positive impact on the environment!”
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Keywords: conservation of forests, planting trees, facts about deforestation, what is deforestation? Forests in India. Restored and protected forests also referred to as.
