Trees are the symbols of nature and life. We all know that they give us our oxygen and are nice to look at. There is one day where we come together, appreciate the living creatures, and give some of them a new home: Arbor Day. On the other 364 days, humans are busy deforesting the world. 

The first Arbor Day (in some countries Arbour day) occurred in 1594 in a small Spanish village, when a priest wanted to point out the importance of trees for health and the environment by planting trees and having a big party afterwards. After 1805, it was celebrated in a more modern way, and it found its way to many other parts of the world. Around the Globe, Arbor Day is on different days since the climate varies from each part of the world. In the Czech Republic, it is celebrated in October, in Venezuela in May, and in Macedonia in March. People come together and plant one or more trees. Nearly every country has a tree day, but in Macedonia, there is a bit more history behind it. After the forest fires in 2007, which burned almost 27 hectares of land, the tree planting action “Tree Day: Plant Your Future“ was brought to life. On the following 12th of March, opera singer and UNESCO ambassador of peace Boris Trajanov and other activists helped organise and raise awareness for the event. The government financed the action and announced a national holiday for that year. 200 000 people planted 2 million trees, which was symbolic for every citizen of Macedonia. After 2008, the tree planting action continued, but with fewer participants each year.

Trees provide us with foods like almonds, olives, cocoa, coffee, cinnamon, and other goods. They can live thousands of years and experience and observe history by just standing there. Even though trees are living beings themselves, they are the home for many other species. Trees are not just valuable for the environment but also for us humans.

Muscles of the ground

The roots can go deep in the ground, so the tree is able to grow tall and not fall. They stabilise themselves and hold the soil around them together. With that, trees dampen landslides after heavy rain, and there is less erosion.

Natural filters

Trees gain energy through photosynthesis. They absorb carbon dioxide and transform it into forms that they can use for themselves. In that process, they produce glucose and oxygen and submit them to the atmosphere around them. Trees clean the air and provide us with oxygen that we need to breathe.

Natural air conditioning and sponge

With the process called “transpiration”, the trees absorb water with their roots and release the water into the atmosphere over their leaves. Transpiration works like a straw: when the leaves open, water from the roots is transported to the leaves. The released water cools the air temperature, and by absorbing large masses of water, trees help prevent flooding and droughts.

Noise cancelling

Did you ever notice that when you are in a park, it is quieter than the city around it? Trees muff busy and often unpleasant noises by deflecting, refracting, and masking. Sound waves are redirected when hitting the surfaces of the trees and the soft textures of the trees, so the leaves and small branches dampen harsh noises. They also make noises themselves, which are more pleasant for the human ear. Therefore, it is more relaxing to be in the company of trees than in a busy city.

Soon forests will vanish from the surface of the planet. Habitable land is around 71% of the land surface, and trees now cover one-third (38%) of that. That is still a lot, but the numbers decrease constantly. In the last century, the total coverage decreased by 10%. This amount of decrease did not happen that fast before. 10000 years ago, so right after the last ice age, forests accounted for an estimated 52% of the habitable area of the world. It took 9.200 years to have the same amount of decline in the forest (10%) as in the last 100 years. The main reason for this decline is the use of agriculture. In 2018, agriculture accounted for 46% of the habitable land. 10% of global warming is caused by the loss of forests, which contributes largely to the climate crisis. Not to forget: it destroys the home of many species and contributes to the extinction of a lot of wildlife. Our species erases forests to produce food and to support certain lifestyles. In that process, it harms the whole planet.

“When we plant trees, we plant the seed of peace and hope“ – Wangari Muta Maathai

In a time when many people work on deforestation around the world, a small number of climate activists work on creating new forests. One of the best-known tree-planting activists is Wangari Muta Maathai. In 1977, the professor founded the Green Belt Movement in Kenya, which is an organisation that plants trees and empowers women. They managed to plant over 50 million trees in Kenya. Now the GBM is an ongoing organisation, even after Maathais death in 2011. In 2021, 24-year-old Antoine Moses got a lot of attention because he set a new record by planting over 23,000 trees in 24 hours. He says he planted 1.3 million trees by himself all over Canada and continues to do so. The couple, Sebastiao and Leila Salgado, spent 20 years of their lives restoring the forest with help from their small organisation, “Instituto Terra”. Many species came back and made the 2.7 million trees their home. There are many more tree-planting activists around the world, like Jia Haixia and Jia Wenqi, Elizabeth Wanjiru Wathuti, Leah Namugerwa, Fatou Jeng, Lesein Mutunkei, Patricia Kombo, and Felix Finkbeiner. They all see the immense value of trees and want to fight the excessive deforestation that cuts down one of humanity’s biggest life supports.

Arbor Day is the day of the trees. The plants that are vital in every ecosystem and that provide oxygen. That one day does not erase all the other days when trees die. However, it is a good occasion to remember why trees are so important to humans and to the quality of life. Many people all over the world fight, so the rest of us do not forget. Maybe, this year on Arbor Day, you give a young tree a home to stay in, because they breathe and live in our own home! 

Fiona Schaumann 

Sources: 

Reasons Why Trees are Awesome! – Trees.com

Arbor Day – Wikipedia

Forest area – Our World in Data

How Do Trees Reduce Noise Pollution? – treehugger.com 

Macedonian Arbor Day – Story Of A Nation Going Green – Discovering Macedonia

The Green Belt Movement

Canadian man fights climate change by planting 23,000 trees in 24 hours | Guinness World Records

Sebastião Salgado and His Wife Lélia Spent 20 Years Planting 2 Million Trees To Restore A Destroyed Forest (awesomeinventions.com)

Learn the effects of deforestation – WWF