Tree Week 2020
You have probably heard that trees are very important to our planet and ecosystems — but why? Well, they aren’t just any old plants…
From the massive Redwoods of Canada, to the ancient Oaks in the UK countryside, trees can be found everywhere that there’s adequate soil and sunlight. But why are they so important? Well firstly, they aren’t just there for our enjoyment.
Hundreds of thousands of animals depend on trees for a variety of reasons — for example, they provide branches for nesting, trunks to be hollowed out by birds or insects, and height for protection. Tree habitats are some of the most diverse, with a huge risk of species extinction in areas of mass deforestation.
Trees are also vital to food chains — because they provide habitats to certain plants and fungi, they also allow for insects to both live there are consume the plants on them. These insects provide food for birds and small mammals… the list goes on. If a majority of trees were to be felled in an area, this would be devastating to local food chains.
Finally, trees are also massive contenders in the fight against climate change. The largest contributors to climate change are greenhouse gases such as methane and carbon dioxide. Trees, as well as other plants, take in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, and turn it into oxygen which humans and other living things use to breathe. So not only do trees reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, they also provide oxygen which is essential to most life on earth.
How can I help?
If you’re interested in helping towards the fight against deforestation and climate change, you can do your part by making sure that any paper/card/wooden things you buy are from sustainable sources. You can learn more about some of the amazing organisations that are involved with tree and forest protection as well, such as the Tree Council and the well-known Woodland Trust.
If you’re interested in trees and how truly amazing they can be, why not check out the STARTS Prize honorary mention TreeLab, which involves research into trees and their sounds in nature.