“Treehuggers”

“Treehuggers”<= /b>

Tree huggers is supp= osed to be a derisive term universally applied to environmentally sensitive peop= le and more especially to those folk who are opposed to certain logging practi= ces such as clear cutting, old growth logging in our National Forests, National Park= s, Wildlife refuges and other public lands in particular and to the stunning practice of the US Forest Service losing many millions of dollars on virtua= lly every single timber sale it arranges.

Well; I’ve grown rather fond of being called a tree hugger and here are a few of the reasons why.

Every living creatur= e on earth depends on food, water and air to survive. Good clean food and water = is not always that easily found but in most civilized areas it is available by= one means or another. That leaves air; available everywhere and free for the taking. So what’s the problem? Oxygen is = the problem. We breathe air to derive the oxygen from it and increasingly there’s less oxygen in it and it’s brimming with particle and gaseous contaminants. This is where trees come to the rescue.

We breathe in oxygen= and breathe out carbon dioxide. Many of our fossil fuel burning engines and generating plants do the same thing. Trees breathe in carbon dioxide and discharge oxygen. Let me repeat that. Trees breathe in carbon dioxide and discharge oxygen: and in the process they scrub many of the contaminants from the a= ir as they absorb it through their leaves. Virtually every breath of clean oxygen= filled air we take in is due to the action of and reaction we have with trees.

What a wonderful thi= ng. Nature has provided us with a perfect solution to the vexing problem of too much carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. It’s such a problem that scientists and engineers around the world are trying to find ways to bury i= t in abandoned mines, and beneath the ocean. It’s a major factor in greenhouse warming; it’s stifling and deleterious to = all air breathing creatures on earth and yet trees love the stuff. Their very l= ives and good health depend on it and as they use it = they give off oxygen which the rest of us can’t live without.

And as they give us = the precious gift of oxygen they also provide us with fruits and nuts and flowe= rs and graceful beauty and shade. Did you know that a mature oak tree for exam= ple evaporates about 85 gallons of water a day in the summer time and as it doe= s so the temperature in the shade of that tree will be about 15 degrees cooler t= han the free air temperature around it? And virtually every wild creature in the forests depends on trees in one way or another for food and shelter.

And yet we’re whacking them down at an alarming rate. The Amazonian rain forest in partic= ular along with the other rain forests around the world have been collectively a= nd accurately referred to as the “lungs of the earth” by concerned scientists and naturists around the world who are alarmed by the rapid destruction of these precious resources. An area about the size of Delaware is being cleared monthly and = rain forests don’t regenerate themselves. Once cut the rains stop coming o= n a regular basis because the water evaporation I mentioned earlier is no longer taking place. Clear cutting here and abroad is a devastating practice that = is permanently destroying much of forests around the world and in doing so it = robs us all of the oxygen we absolutely have to have for life to continue as we = know it; and many of our wild life species simply disappear or worse become exti= nct without the food and shelter forests provide them

Smog is a real probl= em in most metropolitan areas. You can often see warnings about poor air quality = in these areas to the point of being advised to stay inside. Part of the solut= ion to the problem is trees. Remember that they give off oxygen and help scrub contaminants from the air. Save all the trees yo= u can in your cities from development and plant all you can everywhere. Encourage your city officials to become involved in this process. You will feel better and breathe easier for your efforts.

Some trees have to <= span class=3DGramE>be cut down. No doubt about it. But it can be done by ways and means so very much more= user friendly to us and all other forms of life. Select cutting and re-planting should be a required practice on national and international properties arou= nd the world. The slash and burn destruction of forests by the world’s poorest people can be drastically reduced by simply providing them with the tools and knowledge necessary for them to survive.

= Want to do something positive that will benefit you and your family and all the creatures of this planet? Get involved. It’s<= /span> easy and doesn’t take a lot of time. Become a tree hugger. I’m one and darn proud of it.<= /p>

Fred W. McLendon

Morganton, NC.USA