The Importance of Trees
― Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam
Why trees ?
Trees provide a stable source of income for the people of the villages residing on the periphery of forests, as they provide NTFPs that are put to domestic and commercial use by the forest-dependent communities. (The Role of Non-Timber Forest Products in Creating Incentives for Forest Conservation: A Case Study of Pulicat Bird Sanctuary, Sullurpeta, Nellore Dt, AP). The article also mentions that trees when certain regulations like preventing the people from the extraction of products till a certain age or prevention of grazing, makes the plantation sustainable. Trees will regenerate and will continue to generate the resources thus providing the community with a steady source of income.
How Planting Trees Works
Trees help rain seep into soil because living and decaying roots make soil porous by creating a network of well-connected, minuscule channels in the soil. Rainwater seeps into soil with such channels several hundred times faster than it seeps through soil without channels. Additionally, when plant debris falls on the soil and starts to organically degrade, it helps soil maintain integrity and form small aggregated clumps. These clumps also ensure that soil is porous.
How Trees Improve Groundwater Recharge
Groundwater flow is one of the mechanisms through which trees keep rivers flowing even the dry season. Besides this, the recharge of groundwater tables. In 2011, almost 30% of India’s districts had a groundwater situation that was either semi-critical, critical or overexploited. This is up from just 8% in 1995. “If current trends continue, in 20 years about 60% of all India’s aquifers will be in a critical condition” says a World Bank report. The lake was once home to several hundreds of bird species that spent part of their migratory cycle there. But today, the lake is completely dry. The residents in this area face water shortage with groundwater levels falling to 700 feet below the surface
How Trees Mitigate Climate Change & Regulate Rainfall
Trees absorb carbon dioxide from the air as they grow. Through the use of solar energy, the carbon in carbon dioxide is transformed the stem, leaves, branches and the rest of the tree’s body. This is why it is so important to plant trees. A tree is essentially a reservoir of carbon. If the tree did not exist, this carbon would remain in the atmosphere in the form of carbon dioxide. When we plant trees, some of that carbon is held in the tree and the rest enters the soil through decomposition of leaves and branches that are naturally shed by trees. This decomposing material adds to the fertility of the soil. The University of Manchester study has calculated that with just a 10% increase in the amount of green space in built-up centers would reduce urban surface temperatures by as much as 4°C.
Trees Protect Biodiversity
Trees provide habitat for flora and fauna and increase biodiversity. They act as wildlife corridors between fragmented habitats, keep river water cool and improve habitat conditions for aquatic animals. When branches or tree stumps fall into the water, this also creates new habitats and provides new energy sources for organisms.
Trees Improve Soil Quality
Trees recycle nutrients by pulling them up from deeper layers of the ground and bringing them up to the surface through the decomposition of leaf and plant litter to form soil organic matter. Tree canopies also trap some amounts of nutrient from the atmosphere, a source of free fertilizer which is washed from the leaves to the soil by rain.
Trees Improve Water Quantity
Trees and forest areas also help filter water used for drinking water purposes in Our water supply system. The water system delivers 1.2 billion gallons of water each day to 9 million residents. Andhra Pradesh manages this because it gets water from watersheds where forests, swamps and soils act as natural filters, removing pollutants.
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