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Currently, on our planet, we are losing large forest masses year after year, as a consequence of deforestation or forest destruction. These forests perform important functions in ecosystems, such as serving as habitat for various species or mitigating the effects of global warming.
In this context, the important need for reforestation of the territory arises to stop this loss of ecosystems and stop the great deterioration that the planet is having. In this Green Ecologist article, we explain what is reforestation and its importance and many more details.
What is reforestation: simple definition
Reforestation is called the fact of repopulate a territory with trees. Generally, said territory was in its recent past (previous fifty years approximately) populated by trees and forests that were deforested for different possible reasons, such as construction of infrastructures, growth of urban areas, the use of wood for industrial or consumption purposes, increase in agricultural and livestock limits or were destroyed by various factors such as fires or other disasters, whether caused, accidental or natural phenomena. Here you can learn more about Deforestation: what it is, its causes and consequences.
The ideal in the reforestation is that the species are autochthonous, although they can also be brought from other places, but the best thing is that they are fast growing trees. In general, sowing and reforesting land in poor condition has a positive effect, by improving the environment and resources.
What is the importance of reforestation and trees
Reforestation is an essential action for the survival of man and other living beings on this planet. Some most important functions of trees and forests, and that can be understood as part of the importance of reforestation, are:
- Trees (and plants) carry out photosynthesis. In this process, they use part of the carbon dioxide that we emit when we breathe or in our daily activities and transform it into oxygen, among other products. Therefore, reforestation is important for the oxygen production on our planet and thus supply the living beings that inhabit it.
- Trees in large wooded areas have the ability to trap and eliminate polluting particles such as dust, pollen, smoke and ash that can be harmful to our lungs.
- Trees, with their effect of using and converting carbon dioxide into oxygen, help reduce the greenhouse effect on our planet. This effect is created because gases such as CO2 and others cause the Earth's heat to be retained in the atmosphere and not released, contributing to the increase in global warming.
- Trees are important agents in ensuring the water conservation and decrease soil erosion. Thanks to reforestation, we manage to stop torrential water currents in the soil and reduce erosion and sedimentation of rivers.
- Trees and forests serve as habitat of great diversity of species on Earth, including decomposing organisms, birds or different mycological species. With reforestation, we would recover this biodiversity lost in that area and that is really necessary.
- Trees reduce the so-called thermal island effect or heat island, which occurs in cities as a consequence of the retention of heat by materials such as concrete and others. In this way, reforestations can modify the local climate and lower temperatures a bit.
Learn more about the importance of reforestation and trees for the environment and for us with this other post from Ecologist Verde.
What are the objectives of reforestation
This is the series of the main objectives pursued with reforestation:
- Nursery construction and plant production.
- Repopulation of green areas.
- Identify the advancement of the sand dunes.
- Production of wood, cellulose, fruit, fibers or fuels.
- Preserve the soil from erosion and improve the watershed.
- Establish protected areas for livestock, using intensive production techniques.
- Form protection zones against the action of the wind and thus protect the crops.
- Have a source of wood for domestic energy production.
- Build leisure spaces.
How to help reforestation
If you wonder how we can help reforestation of spaces that need it, or to increase the trees of a place and favor decontamination, take note of these indications:
- Get in touch with associations and projects that have campaigns for the reforestation of forests or similar areas in order to sign up as a volunteer.
- Know what types of trees to reforest are the best in your area. Some fast growing trees that are good to reforest are: poplar, banana, ash, willow, aguaribay and casuarina. However, depending on the terrain and the climate, one species or another may be more suitable.
- Learn to plant trees on your own to plant them near the area where you live or even in your garden. Here we explain how to plant a tree step by step.
- Donate money to associations that plant trees all over the world. These, for every certain amount of money donated, which is not usually a lot, plant a tree in your name and show you photos and statistics of its growth and the CO2 offset year after year.
- Collaborate to avoid the causes of indiscriminate deforestation.
What problems are there for reforestation: the obstacles
The main problems for reforestation, that is, its obstacles, are given by the human activity, which indiscriminately cuts down forests to obtain raw material for different activities or to urbanize the area. Another problem is forest fires, although some are natural accidents, many others are man-made.
Therefore, it is necessary to make society aware that reforestation is a weapon to keep the so-called lungs of the Earth in good condition, if we do not want everyone's quality of life to be clearly impaired.
Here below you can see a video about reforestation.
If you want to read more articles similar to What is reforestation and its importance, we recommend that you enter our category of Other environment.
