Trees are the unsung heroes that soak up the carbon dioxide launched
into the atmosphere every time we turn the key in the ignition of a car.
Without trees human life could not survive
•
The role of trees and plants is crucial because all
plants require carbon dioxide to grow.
Not only do plants soak up the carbon dioxide, they also release oxygen
as they grow, without which life on earth would not exist.
•
Trees are our link between earth and the heavens. They
symbolize strength, protection and longevity; without trees human life could
not survive.
•
They are vital in maintaining the balance of climate
and fragile ecosystems of our planet.
•
Trees provide us with building materials, fuel, food,
medicine, shade and protection from the elements. For centuries trees have been
revered in many cultures for their links with the past and their spiritual
associations.
•
And yet recently we have begun to undervalue them and,
in many cased to destroy them.
•
Trees have had an extraordinary impact on our lives in
the past, present and will still do so in the future. It is vital that trees
are respected and protected, so that we never again are tempted to take them
for granted.
•
Every continent has trees that play a unique role in
shaping life, be it oak, maple, redwood, eucalyptus, olive, apple or mangrove.
•
The world’s biggest and most important forest is
concentrated in the sub-arctic northern hemisphere, at latitudes of up to 70° N.
•
It is made up largely of conifers such as spruce, fir,
pine and larch and covers thousands of kilometres through Asia, northern Europe
and North America .
•
The vast forests of the Russian Taiga alone stretch
eastward from Murmansk through Siberia
to the Bering Straits, some 6,000 kilometres, in parts 1,000 kilometres
deep.
•
A similar distance is covered in North America and Canada and large tracts of Norway , Sweden
and Finland
•
Mediterranean : While
the five Mediterranean regions collectively cover only 5 per cent of the
earth’s surface, crucially they hold 20 per cent of the world’s plant species,
among them some of the most fascinating trees on the planet.
•
Holm oak, citrus trees, fig - eaten by the Spartans to
sustain them in sporting contests, most notably in the Olympic Games, olive -
with global warming playing into its hands, the productivity of olive trees is
likely to increase.
•
Rainforest: the rainforest environment is entirely
beholden to the trees that populate it and it is upon them that everything in
the system depends.
•
Strangler fig - for a tree that provides 70 per cent
of all the dietary requirements of large primates throughout tropical Africa , this fig is a deserving case.
•
Brazil nut - without the three elements of pollinator,
spreader and tree itself, there would be no Brazil nuts to nourish us. Because of the value of its nuts, the Brazil
nut tree is on a shortlist of Amazonian trees which it is forbidden to fell.
Deforestation - unsustainable timber harvesting plagues many parts of the
world, leading to soil erosion, water pollution, increased risk of flooding,
and scarred landscapes.
Creating a Sustainable World
The
Green Building
(Sustainability
Week)
Sandton
Convention Centre
Trees help to shape our world
Trees protect the climate by absorbing greenhouse gas carbon dioxide
Trees that Shape the World
Author - Tom Petherick
ISBN 1- 84400- 317 – 5
