THERE has been much in the news in recent weeks thanks to COP26, about climate change and the need to reduce our global carbon footprint.
Our own government has pledged that the UK will reach net zero carbon by 2050 and while much has been made of switching to electric powered vehicles and away from gas / fossil fuelled forms of heating our homes and workplaces, one of the simplest ways we can all help is by planting more trees.
Trees and hedgerows can both mitigate the challenges of global warming and help stop climate change. As we mark the Tree Council’s National Tree Week (Nov 27 – Dec 5), we at Grotech Production Ltd, thought we’d highlight just a few interesting facts relating to trees. For instance, did you know:
- There were as many as six trillion trees on earth but around half of these have been destroyed to make way for agriculture and urban development? This destruction is continuing with some five billion trees being cut down year on year.
- Trees have their own version of ‘the web’? They communicate and share nutrients with each other through special fungi on their roots called mycorrhiza.
- Trees release chemicals called phytoncides which when we breathe them in, according to research, can reduce blood pressure, lower anxiety and even increase our pain threshold?
So, trees make us happier, more relaxed and more creative, but how do they help the environment?
Trees absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen, acting as a filter, like a leafy pair of lungs, and helping to limit global warming by providing a cleaner, healthier climate. Absorbing and retaining water, they can help with flooding risk and can also help save energy, providing shade and water vapour to help lower temperatures particularly in built-up areas reducing the need for air conditioning while acting as a windbreak to help reduce heat loss during colder months.
There is no doubt that trees are integral to our planet’s survival and doing more to protect and care for those we already have, as well as planting more is the way to go. It is estimated that to reach our net zero carbon goal we need to be planting some 50 million trees across 1.44 million hectares. A tall order and one which calls for us all to pull together to achieve.
National Tree Week is an opportunity for us to take our first steps in this by coming together to celebrate and plant trees across the country. The Tree Council has planting events planned across the UK – check out The Tree Council’s National Tree Week Campaign to find out more – and also has an online programme of tree-related arts and culture events.
If group activities aren’t quite your thing, you can help individually by:
- Planting a tree – in your garden, a plant pit or somewhere in your local community.
- Make a donation to the Tree Council. £15 will plant one new tree or a metre of hedgerow and enable them to provide the aftercare needed. Click here to make a donation to The Tree Council
- Speak up for trees. Let everyone know you want to see a greener future where nature can thrive.
At Grotech we are proud to support the good work carried out by the Tree Council with a £150 donation to enable them to plant and care for 10 new trees or 10 metres of hedgerow. Trees have been on our planet for millions of years. They are amazing and at a time when we need them more than ever, it is beholden to us to be caring for them and repopulating our surroundings now and for years to come.
