C1 Reading – Planting Trees

The idea that the forests breathe for the world is not a new one. The science behind planting trees to try and slow the heating of the planet by reducing the amount of carbon dioxide in the air is popular with many people in society. Millions of trees are being planted all around the world, but is this a good thing? Tree planting projects are being run by governments and big organizations. As everyone hurries to plant a tree, are they forgetting a few important environmental points. These points might have huge and often negative results on the planet. Take for example the most popular type of tree being planted across Europe: the pine tree. Pine trees are fast growing and can be planted close together to make thick forests. It sounds good because for each piece of land used the number of pine trees is high. This is especially true when you compare the number of trees in a pine forest to the numbers of local trees such as oak that could be planted. There also is proof that planting nonnative trees can bring in diseases which is really not good. The lack of variety in these new forests is also not healthy, and the result may be that many of these new forests will die. In addition to this there may also be other potential problems. In many countries there is a lack of water and getting water to all these new trees cannot happen through rain alone. They have to use their water stores which are already limited. There are also worries about the use of pots, tree guards and ties, creating more waste in the environment by using so much plastic. Using these things can only be seen as negatives for the planet and may impact the world worse than doing nothing. Another looming issue for local environments that these projects do not consider is that the land under the pine forest gets almost no light. This means that nearly nothing can grow. In fact, all you will see is a bed of brown pine needles. Due to this fact there should be a pause in planting large monoculture forests. In addition, when it rains, the forests produce run-off that is acidic and high in pollutants; run-off is water that flows out of the forest after it rains. The results of this are smaller numbers of plant and animal varieties, and the death of many fish in rivers and lakes. We know that there needs to be further research done but there is no way that these forests should continue to be planted before solutions to the problems can be solved. All in all, it is fair to say that the new fashion of tree planting should be done very carefully and should include as many native species as possible because not doing this will cause undue stress on the planet and is completely antithetical to ideas that make planting trees seem so sensible. Moderation and understanding is needed in all things but especially at such a precarious time when the planet’s health is at such risk. The results of how much damage is being done by mass planting is yet to be borne out but if the current blindness to the reality of destroying nature to try and save it just makes no sense at all. However, the planting does make it at least seem as though people are doing something, albeit potentially disastrous, to help save the planet.