...and Helpful Hints
We are a world of machines....cars, airplanes, factories, and electric generators. Most run on fossil fuels which, when burned, give off polluting carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Each of us is responsible for over 4,600 pounds of carbon production a year!
OUR WORLD NEEDS HELP... OUR WORLD NEEDS TREES!
We must each do our part to clean up the atmosphere. We can reduce our energy consumption and carbon emissions. We can make a commitment to plant and care for trees. Why trees? Because trees grow by using the carbon from the atmosphere. The larger trees grow, the more carbon they are able to remove. In one year, a single tree can absorb as much carbon as is produced by a car driven 26,000 miles.
Trees contribute to a clean, healthy environment in other ways as well. As they grow, taking in carbon dioxide from the air, trees also produce life giving oxygen. Additionally, a tree provides shade and cooling, which lessens energy demands and pollution.
HOW MANY TREES?
How many trees should you plant or care for in order to store the carbon you'll be responsible for in your life time? It depends on the age of the tree and how soon in life you start. As you can see from the chart which follows, the sooner you begin, the better!
TREE STEWARDSHIP
Caring for trees that already exist is something each responsible citizen of the world should do. Many trees die in their first ten years of life. They must be protected during this critical stage in order to ensure survival. The large, old trees of our forests and cities have thrived only by overcoming many hazards and hardships. The trees on our lawns, along our roads, and in our parks will not survive without our help. Insects, diseases, buildings and road construction, drought, air pollution, and other natural and man-made causes are continuously at work to weaken and ultimately kill our trees. When a tree dies, it releases the carbon back into the air. The death of one 70-year-old tree would return over three tons of carbon to the atmosphere.
ENOUGH TREES?
NO! Our world needs trees and needs many more trees! A personal commitment to planting and nurturing trees is vital to the health of our planet. Every single tree planted or cared for is important; every single year a mature tree is kept from dying is a help. We need trees because our very future depends on their survival!
THINK TREES!
For more information on how you can help our trees survive, contact an arborist, your local tree-care professional.
We need trees in order to survive.
THINK ABOUT IT!
