Take Action: Help Keep Our Trees Alive

Keep our trees alive by recycling, becoming an advocate and donating to the cause.

I grew up on a farm in a small Kentucky town. As I drove up my driveway I was suddenly immersed in an arch of trees. From maple, oak and walnut to the beautiful dogwoods that bloom in the spring, I always felt at home living back in the woods. Growing up with such beautiful scenery, I couldnt image anyone wanting to destroy it. However, the truth is, there are many parts of the wilderness that are threatened everyday by human acts. From chopping down trees for paper to coal mining, many trees and other plants are faced with fighting for life on a day-to-day basis. Learning of this destruction of our trees, I knew I had to do something. Once you understand what the trees face, you will join the resistance too! What are the Trees Facing?

Natural Resources- With more people living on the Earth,

we demand even more natural resources, one of these coming from our trees. Trees are used for paper, furniture, pencils, heating homes, and more. Beyond the materials the trees make for us, it is more important to note that trees are the homes for many creatures. Birds build their nests in the trees and insects, animals, and others find use for the trees as well. Trees are an essential part of our environment. We must only use these trees when needed and do everything we can to only use the bare minimum. For example, when writing an email we should only print it off if it is necessary. I

have a note at the bottom of my emails that states Stay green and keep it on the screen!

Fires- Beyond how we and other creatures use trees, there are other reasons
that trees are destroyed. Forest fires are started due to unwatched campfires or unmanaged dry spells. Wood is one of the fastest burning fuels. When trees catch on fire, it spreads and can be difficult to stop.

Construction- Coal mining, housing developments, and

power plants can overtake acres of hundred-year-old trees. One form of coal mining is mountain top removal. This form of mining uses explosives instead of miners to can contaminate water. An estimated 2,200 square miles of Appalachian forests will be eliminated by 2012 by large-scale mining operations. Scary to think about? Scary to see What Can You Do to Stop it? Not only do the trees face the over use of being a natural resource, fires, and being torn down for construction and coal mining, but other factors come into play as well. If you have trees on your land, be sure to take care of them. Without proper planting, water, location, and soil compaction, trees can die. Working to save the trees that we have control over is a step we all can take. For the trees that we do not have in our backyard, we can make a difference in other ways. Examples include starting our own home recycling program, planting more trees, becoming advocates for the cause, and donating. We must work to stop the destruction of trees and save our environment! get under the surface. This is very dangerous for local residence, for the debris

Recycle- One way to prevent the cutting down of trees is to start recycling! I
suggest creating your own recycle bin. By eliminating the need of trees, we can help save them by committing to recycle when possible. Though this is specific to the United States, Americans use 85,000,000 tons of paper a year, which is about 680 pounds per person. Plant a Tree- One seed can create a new tree. You can buy seeds to plant to help create new trees. Different programs, such Plant a Billion Trees gives you the opportunity to have their organization plant a tree for you. Their motto is "one dollar. one tree. one planet." Their focus is the Atlantic Forest. It is considered to be one of the world's most endangered forests. Working with the Nature Conservatory and other organizations, Plant a Billion Trees works together to keep the forest alive. When trees are destroyed, a new seed is planted to replace the tree. When planting a tree there are specific steps to follow. This video gives you guidelines on how to plant a tree and the regulations that must be followed. So, take the steps to make a difference. Plant a seed to help keep our environment alive!

Become a Tree Advocate- There are different organizations that you can
become a member of. These organizations may have different missions statements; however, in the end they are here to protect our environment. An example is the Mountain Justice organization. This organization seeks to end steep slope mining and surface mining for coal. Mountain Justice seeks to add to the growing anti-MTR citizens movement. Specifically Mountain Justice demands an abolition of MTR, steep slope strip mining and all other forms of surface mining for coal. We work to protect the cultural and natural heritage of the Appalachia coalfields. We work to contribute with grassroots organizing, public education, nonviolent civil

disobedience and other forms of citizen action. Mountain Justice is one of many environmental outreach organizations. For a list of more organizations visit Web Ecoist. Earth First is also a site to keep you updated on the environmental issues that are occurring everyday.

Donate to the Cause- If being a member of an organization isnt for you, you
can still donate to the cause. Organizations such as We Save Trees have locations on their site for your donations. Take Action Today. We need to stop the unnecessary use of paper, the preventable fires, the destruction of our trees by coal mining and other constructions. Becoming aware and making changes in your life to help save our trees is a step that needs to be taken today. Do not just make this difference in your life, but tell others. Tell others to join the resistance against the demolition of our environment. Together we will have a larger impact. Together we will save the trees.