Thursday, February 4, 2016
The poet Joyce Kilmer once wrote “I think that I shall never see a poem lovely as a tree…” and here at Forestry Commission England found it hard to disagree.
As 14th February is knocking the door, Forestry Commission of England reveals and shows that the particular day is not bounded within living persons but also bounds nature with humans, the love for the nature, for the tress. To celebrate St Valentine’s Day, Forestry Commission England has revealed their top 10 reasons why they love trees. Forestry can now be a part of the celebration.
Trees mean something to everyone; and with the myths, fairy tales, and history that surrounds them, they believe it makes woods and forests some of the most romantic places on earth.
The reasons are:
1) In Japan the health benefit of spending time in amongst the trees in the forests is so treasured that it has its own word, shinrinyoku, which literally means ‘forest bathing’.
2) Trees are our natural health service – So strong is the connection between trees and our health and well-being that NHS trusts are being advised to see trees in the grounds of hospitals as a fundamentally important part of creating a positive healing environment for patients.
3) Some trees can “talk” to each other. When willows are attacked by webworms and caterpillars, they emit a chemical that alerts nearby willow of the danger. The neighbouring trees then respond by pumping more tannin into their leaves making it difficult for the insects to digest the leaves.
4) Trees filter and clean the air around us. By absorbing airborne pollution they boost oxygen levels. A single tree will produce enough oxygen for a family of four every single day.
5) The estimated value to the economy of the ecosystem service provided by trees and woodland wildlife in the UK is £680 million.
6) People love trees as much as they do – In Melbourne, the city council devised an urban forest map which gave each tree an individual number so residents could email them to report damaged branches. What they didn’t expect to happen was the trees themselves to receive personal emails of admiration and expressions of love!
7) Trees are among the world’s oldest living things – Ancient trees have borne witness to all of their favourite love stories, have seen the rise and fall of civilisations and have survived climates; they are nature’s true survivor.
8) In WW1 soldiers used to leave love notes on trees for their wives and girlfriends that included times, dates, thoughts and feelings. Love messages can still be found on trees today and are known as ‘arboglyphs’. Obviously they don’t advocate the damaging of trees in this way, but for historic reference they can be interesting finds.
9) When lost, it is possible to use trees to assist one in navigation. In northern temperate climates, moss will grow on the northern side of the tree trunk, where it is shadier. Failing that, if anyone finds the stump of a tree that has been cut down, you can observe the rings of the tree to discover which direction north is. In the northern hemisphere, the rings of growth in a tree trunk are slightly thicker on the southern side, which receives more light. The converse is true in the southern hemisphere.
10) Around 1,500 wildlife species are thought to rely on a single English oak tree, for breeding, feeding, resting, roosting, shelter and safety.
Tags: 10 reasons, Forestry Commission England, love for tress, St Valentine’s Day
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