Why are trees so important to the environment?
Trees provide so many benefits to our everyday lives. It is widely acknowledged that the planting of trees helps mitigate climate change. Trees help clean the air we breathe, provide fresh drinking water, absorb harmful carbon from the atmosphere, help curb climate change, and create homes for thousands of species of plants and animals. Planting a tree can help save the Earth from deforestation. Trees are key ingredients in 25% of all medicines. You know Aspirin? It comes from the bark of a tree. In addition, trees support poor farmers, who are involved in our projects.
Planting a tree is a lifelong investment.
Here are just some of the benefits of a tree:
Air:
Trees are like the vacuums of our planet. Through their leaves and bark, they suck up harmful pollutants and release clean oxygen for us to breathe. Trees don’t just absorb CO2. They also absorb odors and pollutants like nitrogen oxides, ammonia, sulfur dioxide and ozone. It’s estimated that one tree can absorb nearly 4 kg of polluted air each year and release 120 kg of oxygen.
Trees absorb harmful carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and reducing the effects of climate change.
Water:
Trees play a key role in capturing rainwater and reducing the risk of natural disasters like floods and landslides. Their intricate root systems act like filters; removing pollutants and slowing down the water’s absorption into the ground. This process prevents harmful waterside erosion and reduces the risk of over-saturation and flooding. Trees filter the water we drink.
Nature:
Trees provide habitat for many different species of plants, insects, animals, birds and other living things. They all rely upon and in turn contribute to the ecosystems they inhabit. Fruit and nut trees provide a food source not just for humans but also for birds, animals and other creatures. Without trees, forest creatures would have nowhere to call home.
Health:
Trees are key ingredients in 25% of all medicines. You know Aspirin? It comes from the bark of a tree. A walk through a calm, quiet forest can reduce sreduce stress, anxiety, and allow us to reconnect with nature. Tree-filled gardens on hospital grounds speed healing in hospital patients. In addition, shade provided by tree coverage helps protect our skin from the ever-increasing harshness of the sun. And: Trees make people feel good.
Soil:
Trees prevent soil erosion and rainwater runoff. During heavy rains, water runoff finds its way to streams, lakes and wetlands, creating the potential for flooding. It also picks up and carries pollutants along the way. Leaf canopies help buffer the falling rain and their roots hold the soil in place, encouraging the water to seep into the ground rather than run off. Tree roots also bind improve and protect the soil where they are planted preventing soil erosion from wind, rain and flooding. Trees absorb excess nutrients from the soil especially from agricultural processes and prevent these nutrients from polluting local streams and rivers.
Social Impact:
Trees and woodlands provide valuable social, aesthetic and cultural benefits. Woodlands are popular with both tourists and local communities as a leisure and recreational amenity. Trees also provide cultural, educational and employment opportunities through the learning and practice of forestry, woodworking, building and carpentry skills as well as other traditional techniques and crafts. Trees creating jobs, then the job opportunities provided by the forestry industry are endless. Food-producing trees provide fruit, nuts, berries, and leaves for consumption by both humans and animals, and guarantee health and nutrition.
Shelter & Shade:
Trees conserve energy in summer and winter, providing shade from the hot summer sun and shelter from strong winds. Trees provide nesting sites, food and shelter for your bird friends and other animals.
Help & Income
Trees support poor farmers, who are involved in our projects. Fruit trees can produce abundant food for poor families and farmers in Bali. Our project Trees4Bali support also reduce poverty in a very direct way: by paying locals a fair wage for their tree-planting efforts, irrespective of their gender or social status. From mangos, bananas, pomelos, jack fruits to avocados, trees produce an abundance of food. These fruits can be sold for income too. The income local villagers receive for working on the project or by selling the fruits has helped them escape the vicious cycle of poverty by enabling them improving their standards and health, and helping them send their children to school.
Climate:
It is widely acknowledged that the planting of trees helps mitigate climate change. Trees help to cool the planet by sucking in and storing harmful greenhouse gases, like carbon dioxide, CO2, into their trunks, branches, and leaves, and releasing oxygen back into the atmosphere. Fortunately, a mature tree can absorb an average of 20 kg of carbon dioxide per year.
Long-Term Impact:
When we plant trees, we are giving a long-term gift to the environment and to our communities. Since many species of trees can live for hundreds of years or more, your “investment” tree planting may perhaps last far beyond our own lifetimes. It is a very good long-term footprint of your life on earth.
Did you know planting a tree is one of the easiest and most powerful things you can do to have a positive impact on the environment?
Why Bali?
The island of Bali is just one of the thousands of island in the Indonesian Archipelago. Yet, unlike the others islands, Bali has captured the world hearts, minds, and imagination for most of this century. Bali’s allure and fascination are clear and immediate. The island is physically beautiful and the people are lithe, graceful and full of friendliness – exuding a quiet confidence.
With an area of 5,780 km² and a population of over 4.22 million people and over 4 million tourists every year, Bali is one of the most densely populated areas of the world. Of course, this also brings many environmental problems. Since 1950 over 25% of the forest were cut.
Trees4Bali projects across Bali are helping rebuild the habitat of critically endangered species. These projects are creating jobs and providing sustainable, long-term income for communities so people and forests can live together in harmony.
Why Bali:
– Bali is easy to reach and every sponsor can visit his tree from time to time.
– Bali has perfect soil and grounds for growing trees
– We can support poor families and farmer on remote areas of Bali
– Since 1950 over 25% of forests were cut. We like to stop this.
– On Bali it is easy to make a contribution to improving the global climate.
– A big variety of plants and trees can grow on Bali.
– Our trustful partners in Bali can take care the projects and report it.
– On Bali we can provide all time transparency.
– And because we love Bali.
Reason enough?
Act now, and become a sponsor of a tree.