Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: International Day of Forests
I saw on a calendar of holidays, that today is International Day of Forests. I got to thinking, what a GREAT day!
The UN General Assembly proclaimed this day in 2012. Click on the link for information on this 10 year anniversary! I’m IN!
- Forests are home to about 80% of the world’s terrestrial biodiversity, with more than 60,000 tree species.
- Around 1.6 billion people depend directly on forests for food, shelter, energy, medicines and income.
I love trees. I love their shape, the shade they provide, the sound when the wind blows through their leaves or the pines that sway.
There was an old cottonwood at a place I lived, it was so lovely to lay in the sun under it and just let it’s calm wash over me.
But there’s so much more.
- They filter our water and help clear our air.
- They deliver a veritable banquet of food.
- Sure there are apples, figs, pears and much more but did you know that almost 50% of the fruit we eat comes from trees, not to mention the nuts and spices we get!
- The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations says that around 40 percent of the extreme rural poor – about 250 million people – live in forest and savannah areas. For these communities, vibrant forests and trees are their lifeline against hunger.
- Wood from forests supply about 40 percent of global renewable energy – as much as solar, hydroelectric and wind power combined.
While trees grow back, it takes time and we need to give it to them! What is YOUR favorite tree? Share it on my Facebook page.
