Trees serve a variety of purposes that enhance the lives of people around the planet. Trees are a natural resource which keeps on giving. Without trees, there would not exist the wood that is used to form the frames of homes, the tables people use at work and the furniture on which people relax. During the cold months, wood from trees gets harvested to keep homes warm. Blocks are cut from wood to form toys for children to play with. Even the ornate picture frames and plaques that adorn the walls of homes comes from a variety of trees that modern people often take for granted. What is perhaps not so obvious are all the other things trees do to improve humankind’s existence. Let’s appreciate all the things trees give to us and let that appreciating seep over into doing everything in our power to keep this integral component of the earth organism thriving.
Trees Provide Aesthetic Beauty
If the earth was not clothed in lush green trees, it would not be as pretty of a planet in which to live. Trees provide the surface of the earth with a wide variety of visually stimulating landscapes. They also provide people with the opportunity to play a part in designing how the scenery around their dwellings will look. Trees play a huge role in the esthetic basis for much of the scenery people come to observe on a daily basis.
Trees Provide Sources of Recreation
Nothing helps an adventurous child to expend energy quite as well as climbing a tree. From an early age, children learn that trees (along with other elements of the natural environment) serve an important purpose in their development. From the tire swing in the side yard to the rope that they hang down by the swimming hole, trees prove to be a foundation for youthful activity. Properly spaced trees even serve as a perfect foundation for tying off a volleyball net for hours of fun down at the local park, or a place to tie up your hammock and relax in the outdoor air.
Trees Provide Oxygen
When one considers the various ways trees give back to the environment, it is difficult to ignore how fortunate humanity is that trees absorb carbon dioxide and return oxygen back into the atmosphere as a byproduct. Since oxygen is an essential component to the air people breathe, it may cause some to wonder how many trees it takes to supply enough oxygen to sustain a single person’s respiration needs each year. According to Science Focus, it turns out that each human inhales around 9.5 tons of air per year. The air people breathe is only composed of 23-percent oxygen. When we intake air, we only absorb about a third of the oxygen being inhaled; consequently, this is approximately 740 kg of oxygen, per person, per year. In short, this averages out to requiring around seven or eight trees to create the oxygen a single person needs in a year’s time. We need to trees to live.
Trees Provide Food And Medicine
Trees are a vital source of food for humans and animals alike. From nuts to fruits, trees make a huge contribution in the global dietary needs of most living creatures. Without so many types of fruit and nut trees, it would be difficult for people to obtain such a large variety of nutrient-dense foods. According to this article, trees have long been used for their medicinal properties. As a vast number of health-conscious people return to a more natural approach to medicine, they are rediscovering the life preserving properties on which ancient cultures used to heavily depend. From edible barks to the use of leaves in medicinal teas, a single tree may serve more than one medical function. One such tree, referred to in India as the Jamun tree, is well known for its ability to have a profound affect on helping to regulate blood sugar.
Trees Stand in the Way of the Elements
Trees stand as barriers to the elements. Their leaves offer protection from the sun by providing shade. A wall of trees will also help to block rough wind and attenuate loud noises. This means that trees are useful for reducing the noise due to traffic along roads. The roots of trees also aid in the protection of the ground from wind and water being able to easily erode top soil. This last reason is one that should compel people to plant far more trees than people plant today. Basically, with just minimum maintenance, you get tons of benefits.
From the little child to the aging adult, trees offer a little something for everyone. Without trees, it would be next to impossible to maintain life on planet earth. To come to appreciate the value trees harbor is to realize how many different ways people depend on trees to help them function. Let’s plant some trees, yeah? Who’s in?
