Save Trees Essay

If we go by the scientific definition, Trees are perennial plants with elongated trunks and stems. As we all know trees play a very important role in our survival. Trees are considered man's best friend. By doing photosynthesis they produce oxygen gas, which we humans inhale. The uses of trees are not just limited to the production of oxygen. Our existence on this planet is wholly dependent on plants and green vegetation. They also make our surroundings presentable, they provide fresh air which keeps our mind fresh by which we do any work more efficiently. Let's see in detail how trees and plants help us.

Uses of Trees:

• Food: All the fleshy fruits we know be it apple, mango, etc., trees are the source of every one of them. There are some dry fruits too like dates, almonds, cashew nuts, etc. are produced from trees and plants. Dry fruits are rich in protein, vitamins, and other nutrients. Even the chocolates we eat are produced from plants like cocoa, Oil to coffee everything we use comes from plants and trees. Not only humans other mammals like cows, ox, elephants, etc. are dependent on plants. To preserve food smoke from wood is used.
• Fuel: From the beginning of the world wood has been used as a fuel. During ancient times wood was used as a source of fire. Still in rural areas woods are used as a source of fire, and in urban cities, wood as a source of fire is a choice. We all know charcoal is a great fuel, charcoal can also be obtained from the slow pyrolysis of wood.
• Timber: These are trees that are grown to produce wood. Woods that we get by cutting them into lumber are used for construction. Woods are easily available so it has been used for construction since ancient times. We also get paper from the pulp of wood which is further used for making cardboards.
  
• Art: Besides food and fuel, trees have inspired various artists. The best examples are tree shaping and bonsai. Bonsai originated from China and also spread in Japan. Bonsai word is used for small trees that look like an umbrella. Tree shaping as the name suggests artists do work on living trees and woody plants to change them into man-made shapes for art and useful structures.
  

These were some uses of trees and plants. Once Gandhi said There's enough for everyone's need but not for everyone's greed". But humans don't understand that. They have made the situation worse. So now to recover that, countries from different parts of the world have come together to save trees to preserve the planet earth. A few questions might come to your mind about what would happen if there are no trees. What's the need of saving trees? And what are the ways to save it? To make you realize the importance of trees let's answer them one by one.

Importance of Trees:

Roots of trees and plants help in preventing soil erosion. So this helps in avoiding landslides and floods. Trees also play an important role in maintaining the water cycle. In recent times we have seen that groundwater level is decreasing. One of the ways to prevent that is by growing more trees.

They also help in reducing air pollution by absorbing air pollutants. The shade they provide saves us from blazing sunlight. They are home to birds, bees, butterflies, and other living beings which are important for ecological balance. All this shows that the point is clear about the importance of trees. Saving and growing more trees also reduces global warming and makes the earth lively. Oxygen which we get from trees acts as a shield against ultraviolet rays of the sun, which if reaches our body may cause cancer and other diseases. Let's look at a major issue: the reason for the deprivation of trees.

Deforestation and its Causes:

Humans have failed miserably at saving trees and the main reason behind it is deforestation. As the population is growing rapidly, humans require more land, and to do that we cut trees. Big companies are also cutting trees to spread their branches throughout the world. And as we have mentioned above trees are also cut down for the production of paper and limber. In order to cover these needs trees are cut down. Activities like mining of ores require cutting down trees.

There are some natural calamities too that lead to deforestation like forest fires, earthquakes, and cyclones. As we all know deforestation causes more floods which lead to more destruction.

Now that we have learned about the major causes of deforestation let's understand the impacts of deforestation.

Impacts of Deforestation:

As we have seen in recent times humans are not able to protect trees which leads to many problems. One of the major problems is global warming. We see that glaciers are melting on a daily basis due to an increase in temperature. Due to the melting of glaciers sea level rises and leads to floods.

Less number of trees means fewer roots to hold the rainwater, so we can say that deforestation is one of the reasons that cause floods. Deforestation loses the soil. Loose soil cannot act as a strong barrier so it cannot prevent floods.

Deforestation also leads to air pollution. Fewer trees in the environment lead to more carbon dioxide in the air. As the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere increases, the opposite happens to the amount of oxygen, it gets terrible. If we continue cutting trees in this manner not only, we are risking our lives, we are risking the lives of innocent animals too. Forest is home to wild animals, if we keep cutting trees they would lose their homes and they will be vulnerable to hunting, extinction, etc.

Humans are the only intellectuals among all animals. The ability to think is what makes us human. As we all have heard the quote "With great power comes great responsibility". We humans should understand our responsibilities and act towards saving our earth, best way to do that is by saving trees. Many people might think that this only affects carnivore animals, but it is not like that as it will gradually start affecting herbivores too. And then gradually the whole food chain will be affected and with time it will fall.

Measures to Take to Save Trees:

By saving trees we help ourselves and mother earth. Trees ensure our future. It is already understood that the first step in conserving trees is planting as many trees as possible.

1. Minimizing the use of paper: It is another way to save trees, instead of using paper we should use our digital devices to note down stuff.
2. Using recycled paper products: It can be another method to save trees as it shrinks the use of newly made paper.
3. Volunteering: Work for an organization that is working really hard to save trees.
4. Spreading awareness: Spread awareness about deforestation on social networking sites. Educating your friends on this topic can be advantageous.
5. Eat less meat: You'll be amazed to know that meat production requires tearing down acres of forest land to make space for all the animals to graze. By cutting down your meat consumption, you'll be bringing down the demand too.
6. Buy labelled products: Certifications and labelling can give consumers valuable information about the environmental impacts of the products they are purchasing. Most of the products are not certified, you should avoid buying those products.

Steps being taken by the government of India to save trees:

As per reports, forest in India covers 21% of the country's total geographical area but you all will be contented to know that there has been an increase in the total forest area from 2011 to 2013.

1. National Afforestation Programme (NAP)

NAP is a flagship programme started by the Indian government in the year 2000 on an India basis for afforestation in forest degraded areas.

2. National Bamboo Mission (NBM):

As the name suggests, this mission was started to increase the cultivation of bamboo in non-government and private lands in the year 2006-07. This mission has also contributed to the growth of industries by supplying raw materials.

3. Van Mahotsava

The denotation of this word is 'Tress festival'. This festival is celebrated every year from July 1^st to July 7^th. Van Mahotsava was started by K.M Munshi in the year 1950. The main objective of this festival is to plant more and more trees and also create awareness among the citizens of India about climate change and deforestation. Similarly, there are several other Government schemes which helped in increasing forest areas, trees count