We need to speak for the trees

Deforestation is becoming a huge problem for the world. Over 70% of plants, insects and animals reside in a forest environment and nearly 80% of the world’s forests have been destroyed or irreparably damaged.

Trees help to regulate the climate, are homes for countless creatures and slow down the process of soil erosion.

Deforestation occurs when there is a permanent loss of trees and vegetation in an area.

The lack of trees allows more greenhouse gasses to be absorbed into the atmosphere. Healthy forests absorb carbon dioxide, but deforested areas lose that ability and release even more carbon into the air.

Trees help the land contain water and topsoil. Without forests, or even just a few trees, soil erodes and is washed away. With the topsoil gone, farmers cannot grow crops and may abandon certain areas. This creates a flat, barren area that has a higher chance of flooding.

The continuation of deforestation will spiral out of control. Already, climate change is such a difficult issue for people to agree on. But if something is not done soon, it will be too late to stop anything.

The most well-known area experiencing deforestation is the Amazon Rainforest in Brazil. But America has issues with deforestation as well.

In 1630, around 46% of land in the U.S. was forested. In 2015, only 33% of the nation was forested.

Currently, the U.S. has the fourth-largest forested area. The country holds 8% of the world’s forests. Natural deforestation is typically the result of droughts, invasive species and wildfires in America. There is only so much we can do to contain these issues, but we can do something about human deforestation.

Humans typically cut down trees for lumber and to create more farmland. The U.S. has made more and more protected forests in the country, and this has helped limit human deforestation.

It is doubtful deforestation will ever completely stop. There will always be a need for more farmland and wood for homes, but there are ways to combat this issue.

One way to help fix the issue is replanting trees in harvested areas. Team Trees was started in late October of 2019. They have planted over 23 million trees as of September 2021. There is also a search engine called “Ecosia.” The profits they generate from searches go toward planting trees.

You can also make sure to recycle the paper products you use. Or you can try to buy fewer products that contain palm oil.

Doing everything you can is the best way to fixing the issue of deforestation.