5 Reasons why we should STOP Reckless Tree Planting
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There is no denying the importance of trees in our environment, and the need to curb rampant deforestation. But, planting trees has become an easy way out of our problem. Instead, we should be making difficult but important lifestyle changes and looking at the “root” cause of the problem. In this video, we’re going to look at 5 ways in which reckless tree planting can actually be hurting our environment
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Chapters
0:00 Introduction
1:45 Monoculture
3:12 Residential
5:09 Sponsorship
5:43 Green Skyscrapers
7:04 Urban Trees
8:18 Grasslands
9:33 Conclusion
MONOCULTURE
Tree planting initiatives are driven by numbers. They prioritize quantity over quality and diversity. Monoculture plantations can deplete soil, and cause erosion and degradation. They are more susceptible to pests and diseases. These biological deserts have lower levels of biodiversity than surrounding native forests.
So, if diversity is the answer, how do we achieve it? Mixed tree plantations of local species for one. Another method is leaving natural areas alone and allowing them to recover. This hands off approach is called wilding. 20 years ago, Isabella Tree took over 3500 acres or 1400 hectares of farmland in England and gave it back to nature. It has since doubled the amount of carbon sequestered in the soil, and has a healthy mix of shrubs, natural grass and trees.
RESIDENTIAL GREENERY
As our population continues to grow, huge swaths of land are being cleared for sprawling suburbs. However, our obsession with non-native grass and trees is wasteful and destructive. There are an estimated 50 million acres of lawn in the US. Trees planted next to houses cause serious issues to a home’s foundation, and shorten its lifespan.
Green spaces are vital for our mental health. They can protect us from mood disorders, depression, and stress. However, we need to end this obsession with perfectly manicured lawns and non-native trees.
GREEN SKYSCRAPERS
Renderings of green skyscrapers are widely shared on social media. They give off the impression of being eco friendly and combating climate change. Bosco Verticale in Milan is one of the most popular vertical forests. This 110 meter tower holds 800 trees, 4,500 bushes and 15,000 shrubs. They are estimated to absorb 10,000 kg of CO2 per year. We need to change our perception of “green” buildings. They don’t need to literally be green, but they should be well insulated, use less glass, and be built with low carbon products.
URBAN TREES
The average lifespan of roadside trees is shorter than those in rural areas because of the intense stresses they are exposed to such as
Dense Building which leads to soil compaction, limited space for root and branch growth, and limited access to direct sunlight.
Artificial building materials which lead to high soil ph, surface runoff, and concentrated reflected beams of sunlight from glass buildings.
Heavy traffic which leads to air and soil pollution and soil compaction.
Instead of looking at the cause of poor air quality in urban areas and dealing with excessive nitrogen and sulfur oxides, trees are being planted to clean up the air.
GRASSLANDS
Afforestation is the act of planting of trees in an area where there was no previous tree cover. Careful afforestation can help protect against soil erosion and flooding. Done incorrectly, it can modify a biome, reduce biodiversity, introduce non-native and invasive species, increase the risk of wildfires and deplete the water table.
Grassland biomes are often misunderstood. They can hold more carbon than tree-covered landscapes. Climate change is real and humans have increased the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere. But it is dangerous and misleading to propose that tree planting can be a silver bullet to stop climate change.
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SOURCES:
• Pakistan Sets Out to Plant 10 Billion Tree...
• Climate change: the trouble with trees
https://e360.yale.edu/features/are-hu...
https://www.euronews.com/green/2021/1...
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