Green is good! Put it back!

Remember, a few moths ago, was a nice holiday we all have been waiting for-the Christmas. We all received it with joy in our hearts and hope, for a better world, for a better day. We went shopping for presents and also, for Christmas trees. Some of us use plastic Christmas trees because it is cheaper, easier and…guess what? For saving a tree’s life. Others, like me for example, bought a real tree because is so much better with the flavor of a real tree in our house, the spirit of Christmas was already there! But, have we ever thought about the consequences of our act? About the fact that every year, in this period, we cut thousands of trees without ever giving them back to the nature? Well, some of us did and found a solution to this problem-buy a nice tree in a flower pot and after Christmas is gone, put it back somewhere it belongs like your garden or maybe around the block. Why should you do that? Well…green is good/Well…let me show you why.

Hi! My name is Haidautu Patricia and what I want to talk about today is forest regeneration, why is so important to have trees and what should we do about that.

I know that this is a common subject lately, boring for some because everyone is talking about planting trees and ecological projects but few actually do something or are aware of its importance.

I want to start by telling you a little something about trees. Since the beginning of humankind, we started using natural resources like water, soil, trees and many, many others. We used so much of these that they started to disappear and in the same time we need more and more. Therefore, it is obvious that we should give something back to this planet we live on not only to give away. Daily, thousands of forests are being cleared but other trees are not being planted back because we are too busy with material things like money that we forget the most important thing: the oxygenate air that keeps us alive.

Most trees and forests in cities or communities are planted to provide beauty or shade. These are two excellent reasons for their use and, of course, we could add other benefits like a place to go for a barbeque, wood or simply fresh air to breath.

I shall give you an example of the environmental benefits of trees, taking into account the social, communal and economical categories and I hope that you realize how important they are and which comes first.

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We tend to give more importance to the financial side of clearing forests and we forget the most important thing: trees keep us alive!

For example, trees alter the environment in which we live by moderating climate, improving air quality, conserving water, and harboring wildlife. Wind speed and direction also can be affected by trees. The more compact the foliage on the tree or group of trees, the greater the influence of the windbreak. Trees intercept water, store some of it, and reduce storm runoff and the possibility of flooding. Dew and frost are less common under trees because less radiant energy is released from the soil in those areas at night.

Temperature in the vicinity of trees is cooler than that away from trees. The larger the tree, the greater the cooling. Air quality can be improved through the use of trees, leaves filter the air we breathe by removing dust and other particulates. Rain then washes the pollutants to the ground. Leaves absorb carbon dioxide from the air, which they use in their nutrition and give off the oxygen we need. By planting trees and shrubs, we return to a more natural, less artificial environment. Birds and other wildlife are attracted to the area. The natural cycles of plant growth, reproduction, and decomposition are again present, both above and below ground. Natural harmony is restored to the urban environment.

As you can see, trees have an important role in our lives, even if we do not always realize that! We live in a society in which indifference is very popular and we don’t understand or care about the fact that maybe, today, if we plant a tree for example we could change something, we could make this place a better world for the next generations. Old people usually think that they are just too old to be bothered about the future; young people are not interested and not very well informed may I add and middle-aged ones try sometimes to change something for their children to live in a better world. We already started changing something, there are various campaigns of protecting the nature, planting trees and non-pollution.

I believe we can change our lacking of forests; we can do something good for humankind just by planting a tree. We can regenerate our forests because, after all, trees are like people-they live and help us live so try to protect them and they will protect you and the future generations.

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