Without trees, there would be no life on Earth – at least, not one habitable by humans. One of the many reasons for this simple life-and-death equation is the highly significant roles that trees play in the Earth’s eco-system: they provide oxygen, absorb carbon dioxide and are extremely important for maintaining our planet.
Trees are being cut down all over the world and used mainly as a source of fuel and timber for building and furniture. When trees are cut down stored carbon is released into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide and contributes to climate change.
Living trees and woodlands provide many benefits. Their contributions to us include their roles in reversing climate change; decreasing pollution; preventing floods, droughts, and other natural disasters; providing food, medicine, a habitat for wildlife and a more sustainable agriculture; and creating a healing, inspiring, and recreational space for human body and soul.
Native woodlands represent a unique and valuable cultural, ecological and economic resource. They were once intimately associated with our culture but are now in danger of becoming a forgotten legacy of our past. We will be presenting some useful information about trees and tradition in Ireland, Brazil and Russia.
In Russia, people follow the famous saying:
- Anonymous Chinese poet, 4th Century BC
Russians consider trees the heart of all the important issues of our time: ecological, economic, social and spiritual. They are the basis upon which human life and civilization stand, and they are absolutely crucial for our survival and prosperity.
Since the true nature and many values of trees are not widely understood, in Russia, a holistic education that includes the following elements is provided:
Exploring the Creative Intelligence in Nature
For too long, science and academia have functioned within an entirely materialistic paradigm, denying any intelligence at work in nature despite all evidence to the contrary. Following the pioneering work of forward-thinking scientists and other visionary individuals, the Russians are exploring the Creative Intelligence within Nature and the possibility and benefits of working with that intelligence.
In Russia, there are some native tree species that would be also found in Ireland.
Alder: A tree commonly seen near water, alder is very tolerant of wet conditions (though prefers flowing to stagnant water). A medium sized, fast growing tree, reaching 20m at maturity, it is quick to colonize new ground. The wood is slow to rot, and was often used to make sluice gates in canals. It is a relative of the birch.
Ash: is a large, common deciduous tree, probably the most common farmland tree. It is late to come into leaf (hence the Irish tradition that potatoes can be planted until you can no longer see through the tree). The wood is traditionally used to make hurleys. They can grow up to 45m high.
Birch: There are two species of birsh in Ireland, silver birch and downy birch. Birch is a colonising tree, and is thought to be one of the first trees to have made it to Ireland after the last ice age; they are more tolerant of poor soils than most trees, and can act as a nurse species to other species which take longer to establish. They are quick growing, short lived, and grow to around 25 metres.
In conclusion, we would like to say that all countries should be concerned about these issues and not only the countries we mentioned in this post. Future generations should be brought up and educated to be both aware, sensitive and responsible towards their own surroundings. It is particularly important that children understand the importance of nature even if they live in modern urban life.
Only with the implementation of a fully sustainable system can we ensure the successful future of our world.
Trees are being cut down all over the world and used mainly as a source of fuel and timber for building and furniture. When trees are cut down stored carbon is released into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide and contributes to climate change.
Living trees and woodlands provide many benefits. Their contributions to us include their roles in reversing climate change; decreasing pollution; preventing floods, droughts, and other natural disasters; providing food, medicine, a habitat for wildlife and a more sustainable agriculture; and creating a healing, inspiring, and recreational space for human body and soul.
Native woodlands represent a unique and valuable cultural, ecological and economic resource. They were once intimately associated with our culture but are now in danger of becoming a forgotten legacy of our past. We will be presenting some useful information about trees and tradition in Ireland, Brazil and Russia.
IRELAND
For thousands of years the landscape of Ireland was covered by a mosaic of forest composed of oak, ash, elm, hazel, yew and other native trees, but only a tiny fraction of these trees remains today. Trees played a central role in the practical daily and spiritual lives of the Irish people. They served as landmarks and bastions of family and clan identity, and their importance can be measured by the great number of tree-based place-names in Ireland – out of 16,000 town lands in Ireland, 13,000 are named after trees.
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| Derrycunnihy Oak Woods, County Kerry |
Over the centuries, Ireland experienced a near-total destruction of its forests mainly because of human activity and a deterioration of the climate: from an initial forest cover of around 80% to less than 1%. Ireland is the only country in Europe where such complete forest destruction took place.
As a result of reforestation projects supported by the Irish government and the European Union, Ireland’s forest cover rose to 10%, but much still needs to be done.
BRAZIL
The Amazon Rainforest is the largest tropical forest in the world. The majority of the forest is contained within Brazil and the country still has 63% of vegetal cover. Trees have been extremely important to Brazil's history and cultural aspects. The country itself was named after a tree known as "brazilwood", or "pau-brasil" in Portuguese, because this tree was the main commercially exploited product after Brazil was discovered and claimed by Portugal. Many cities and some states had also been named after trees.
The most common trees in Brazil are: glory brushes, trumpet tree and cedar.
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| Trumpet tree, also known as Ipê |
Deforestation is a very serious problem all over the world, but mostly in Brazil. Almost 17% of the forest have been cut down because of timber and mainly cattle. The Brazilian government has recently achieved a very significant goal by reducing deforestation rates.
RUSSIA
In Russia, people follow the famous saying:
“If you are thinking a year ahead, sow seed.
If you are thinking ten years ahead, plant a tree.
If you are thinking one hundred years ahead, educate people.
By sowing seed once, you will harvest once.
By planting a tree, you will harvest tenfold.
By educating people, you will harvest one hundredfold.”
- Anonymous Chinese poet, 4th Century BC
Russians consider trees the heart of all the important issues of our time: ecological, economic, social and spiritual. They are the basis upon which human life and civilization stand, and they are absolutely crucial for our survival and prosperity.
Since the true nature and many values of trees are not widely understood, in Russia, a holistic education that includes the following elements is provided:
Exploring the Creative Intelligence in Nature
For too long, science and academia have functioned within an entirely materialistic paradigm, denying any intelligence at work in nature despite all evidence to the contrary. Following the pioneering work of forward-thinking scientists and other visionary individuals, the Russians are exploring the Creative Intelligence within Nature and the possibility and benefits of working with that intelligence.
In Russia, there are some native tree species that would be also found in Ireland.
Alder: A tree commonly seen near water, alder is very tolerant of wet conditions (though prefers flowing to stagnant water). A medium sized, fast growing tree, reaching 20m at maturity, it is quick to colonize new ground. The wood is slow to rot, and was often used to make sluice gates in canals. It is a relative of the birch.
Ash: is a large, common deciduous tree, probably the most common farmland tree. It is late to come into leaf (hence the Irish tradition that potatoes can be planted until you can no longer see through the tree). The wood is traditionally used to make hurleys. They can grow up to 45m high.
Birch: There are two species of birsh in Ireland, silver birch and downy birch. Birch is a colonising tree, and is thought to be one of the first trees to have made it to Ireland after the last ice age; they are more tolerant of poor soils than most trees, and can act as a nurse species to other species which take longer to establish. They are quick growing, short lived, and grow to around 25 metres.
In conclusion, we would like to say that all countries should be concerned about these issues and not only the countries we mentioned in this post. Future generations should be brought up and educated to be both aware, sensitive and responsible towards their own surroundings. It is particularly important that children understand the importance of nature even if they live in modern urban life.
Only with the implementation of a fully sustainable system can we ensure the successful future of our world.
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