(Opinion Article)
By: Mary Samuel Usman, Kashere
Trees are major sources for human daily sustenance and good living. They give us fresh oxygen and provide us with shades during hot seasons.
Forestation is one of the methods of sustaining tree species, which in turn, help beautify and make human life meaningful on earth.
Forestation is equally an essential strategy for mitigating climate change, conserving biodiversity, and providing ecosystem services to support human well-being.
According to Chazdon, 2008 forestation refers to the deliberate establishment of forests on land that previously had no forest cover or had been deforested.
This includes planting trees and other vegetations to create new forests or regenerate existing ones.
Importance of Trees
Trees are essential for the health and well-being of our planet and its inhabitants. Below are some of the contributions of trees to human life:
Climate Regulation: Trees absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen into the atmosphere, helping to regulate the Earth’s climate and reduce the impact of greenhouse gases.
Biodiversity: Trees provide habitat for a wide variety of plants and animals, supporting biodiversity and contributing to the health of ecosystems.
Soil Conservation: Trees prevent soil erosion by holding soil in place with their roots and by slowing down rainwater runoff.
Water Cycle Regulation: Trees play a crucial role in the water cycle by absorbing and releasing water vapor into the atmosphere, which can influence precipitation patterns.
Food and Medicine: Many tree species produce fruits, nuts, and other edible products, as well as medicinal compounds that are used in traditional and modern medicine.
Recreation and Aesthetic Value: Trees provide beautiful and tranquil environments for recreation and relaxation, contributing to the quality of life for communities.
Trees when processed can be transformed to serve several purposes for human needs and existence. i.e the books we read, the newspapers we read all are byproducts of trees.
Trees when in their raw states can be used as herbs for traditional medicine and also when process as pharmaceutical drugs. Trees helps a lot when it comes to prevention of erosion.
From trees we equally get some class of food like protein, carbohydrate, vitamins, minerals etc. Trees can be used as toothpick, chewing stick to brush our teeth mainly as substitute in absence of tooth paste.
With all these and several other advantages and uses of trees, why do people cut down trees without planting new ones.
The trees you and I enjoy today were planted by others, some were there naturally. so why do we cut them down without replacement?
Planting trees should be encouraged at homes, offices, farms and several other places. When last did you plant any tree? Have you ever planted one? Plant trees and say no to deforestation, because planting trees around our homes gives us the greenish we desire and makes our environment colourful and beautiful, do not cut trees around, encourage others to plant trees because they give us a source of living our life better, enjoyable and provide us with important equipment to protect our homes and farms from erosion, planting of trees is important, nurture them and protect them from harm.
Mary Samuel Usman is a 300 level student of Mass Communication Department, Federal University of Kashere
maryusmansamuel@gmail.com.