The importance of trees

As the mercury level has gone up alarmingly in the past few days, many people are pointing out that the drastic reduction of green cover is one of the reasons behind it. It is a fact that a large number of trees have been felled across Assam in general and Guwahati and its surroundings in particular in the past few years in order to facilitate development projects like roads. According to reports, Assam’s forest cover loss has been the highest and most rapid between 2001 and 2022. One report said five states from the North East—Assam, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, and Manipur—accounted for 60% of all tree cover loss during the period. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma is on record saying that the government has undertaken a plan to increase the state’s forest cover from the existing 35.28 percent to 38 percent by 2030. But while the government goes ahead with its plans and programmes to grow more trees, it is also the duty of individuals and institutions to grow more trees so that the challenges posed by global warming and climate change can be met successfully. There are a large number of educational institutions across the state whose campuses do not have enough trees. So is the case with government offices and organizations. There is no ban on growing trees, even when construction work on a new building begins. Rather, plants will grow to become trees and provide enough shade and oxygen by the time a building is complete and ready for use. As trees grow, they help stop climate change by removing carbon dioxide from the air, storing carbon in the trees and soil, and releasing oxygen into the atmosphere. Trees provide many benefits to us every day. They offer cooling shade, block cold winter winds, attract birds and wildlife, purify our air, prevent soil erosion, clean our water, and add grace and beauty to our homes and communities.