By Elizabeth Herman | Posted: March 31, 2020
How do you feel after you’ve been outside among the trees and other plants? Better than before? Does a visit to the woods refresh you after being cooped up at home or work all week? Many poets and sages have recounted how being in nature revives their spiritual and physical energy levels.
It seems undeniable that trees have a major role to play in supporting human life. But often we forget about these silent producers of vital oxygen, fruits, nuts, wood, homes for animals, and shade; when we do neglect our forests, it means conscious efforts to revitalize and care for our arboreal friends has become necessary.
8 efforts to save and understand trees
Here are just a few examples of current, ongoing projects to support the existence of healthy tree life:
A written rationale for Art of Living’s many tree planting projects states, “Trees are an expression of sacred life. They generate oxygen, beautify, provide shade, provide homes, help capture rainwater, support biodiversity, and much more. They’ve been an integral part of every culture and tradition that humankind has evolved. Trees have been an immense source of peace. Trees benefit our own future generations. They’re indeed guardians of our dear planet.”
In one recent purchase by Save the Redwoods League, a property in California will preserve “more than 100 acres of old-growth redwoods, including one massive tree that scientists say is 528 years old — meaning it was growing in the same spot when Christopher Columbus set sail for the Americas in 1492.” Given how important trees are for the healthy functioning of this planet, human beings, and our life supporting atmosphere, projects devoted to forest revitalization and preservation deserve and need public support.
For the sake of both old growth and new growth of trees, we need to recognize how human beings gain their physical and mental health by being around green foliage and becoming aware of its healing power. In Louisville, Kentucky, the University of Louisville, the National Institutes of Health, and The Nature Conservancy have come together to conduct Green Heart Louisville, “a large-scale scientific study of how trees and green spaces affect residents' health.”
Today, the countries within the E.U. have more forested land than they did at the turn of the 20th century, due to intentional government efforts to eliminate unused agricultural land and turn it back into woods. The total amount of forest in Europe increased by 35,000 square miles from 1990 to 2015. In Paris, a project to create an “isle of coolness” within a city that is widely considered “urban heat island” plans to “cover half of the City of Light’s acreage with trees by 2030.” Rare animal species, such as the black vulture in rural France, have been reappearing on the European landscape due to the resurgence of forests.
Prior to 2019, the World Bank and other organizations started implementing the largest reforestation project in Brazil’s history. Amazonia Live and the Amazon Sustainable Landscapes Program collaborated with other entities to bring back about 73 million trees on 30,000 hectares of land over the next 6 years. But more recently, as Eve Bratman asserts, after last summer’s tragically destructive wildfires, the best approach seems to be “a strong domestic NGO presence in Brazil, led by Brazilians and oriented toward the Brazilian public,” to make the importance of conservation of forests hit home with local grassroots initiatives.
An Australian non-profit organization, Reforest Now is devoted to bringing back trees and species in many Australian locations. In their mission statement, they recognize the interdependence between humans and trees, stating, “our forests are vulnerable which makes us vulnerable as we rely on them for clean air and to house biodiversity we cherish. It takes a community to build a forest, but it takes a forest to support a community.” From Mossman Gorge in North Queensland to Byron Bay in New South Wales, efforts are underway to help the country recover from 2019’s devastating wildfires.
In Atlanta, Georgia, a 7 acre public park is becoming the largest free food forest in the U.S., with fruit bearing trees, vegetable gardens, and other fresh food sources available to the general public. It’s located in a ‘food desert’ area of the city that has inadequate access to fresh fruit and vegetable retailers, resulting in negative health outcomes for area residents, both physically and psychologically. Walnuts, pecans, figs, apples, plums and peaches already grow in the park, along with stream-side areas and restored native forests.
A scientific study in Mexico showed that children feel happier and become more likely to help others and engage in positive behaviors because of habitually connecting with natural areas. David G. Allen reports on several related research projects showing similar results. For example, “A 2015 study showed that people who take walks in nature report less repetitive negative thoughts. And a government health service in Scotland is so convinced of the mental and physical health benefits of nature it is encouraging doctors to give "nature prescriptions" to help treat high blood pressure, anxiety and depression.”
For more information, follow the links in the article to learn about the projects above. You can get involved in Art of Living’s worldwide sustainability efforts to become part of tree planting, organic farming, and other global nature appreciation and conservation projects. The Art of Silence retreat will also encourage you to quiet your mind and inspire your uplifting emotions through the practice of being one with nature.
Elizabeth Herman writes, offers writing support to clients, teaches, and volunteers for a better world. She has a PhD in Rhetoric, Composition and Literature. Find her on Facebook or Twitter.
