How Planting Trees Will Save Our Planet!

Life on earth wouldn’t exist without trees. So why is it that the world’s forests are disappearing at an alarming rate?

Every minute, we lose twenty-seven football fields of forest to deforestation. If the current rate continues, we’ll lose the world’s rainforests in the next hundred years.

Let’s do something about it! If we educate ourselves and others on just how important trees are, we might be able to save our forests before they disappear. Read on to discover how planting trees saves the planet every day. And, stick about until the end to learn how Project Nord is doing its bit to reforest the world.

Trees absorb carbon dioxide

Firstly, trees absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. This is something we all learn at school. But, why is it such a good thing?

Carbon dioxide is one of the gases released when we burn fossil fuels. Over time, the gases accumulate at the edge of our atmosphere and trap heat from the sun. As a result, the planet warms up!

There are a lot of reasons why global warming is a big problem. Rising temperatures have already caused; 

• Glaciers to shrink

• Wildfires to rage

• Habitat destruction. 

Just take a look at our article on sustainability if you want some real talk on the state of the planet. The world is changing, but luckily we can do something about it. Plant trees!

The effect trees have on the environment is impressive. In one year, an acre of mature trees absorbs the same amount of carbon dioxide produced if a car drives 26,000 miles. Further to that, between 1990 and 2007, global forests absorbed and removed a third of fossil fuel emissions. Amazing!

If we plant more trees, we will actively slow down the rate of global warming, diverting away from the global hell-scape it would cause. Who can argue with that?!

Trees release oxygen and filter the air we breathe

When trees absorb carbon dioxide, they produce oxygen. That’s right, the very air we breathe! It’s shocking that we’re not more thankful for them!

But, just how much oxygen do they produce? Let’s lay down the facts.

Over a year, an acre of mature trees can produce enough oxygen for 18 people! And, more than 20% of the world’s oxygen is produced in the Amazon Rainforest alone. We rely on trees to keep humanity existing!

They also help us out on a local scale too. Roadside trees reduce nearby indoor air pollution by more than 50%. They filter our air for us, making it healthier for us to breathe.

Trees are habitats for animals

As well as being essential for human life, trees are vital for animals too. Eight out of ten species of land animals live in forests. If we continue to cut down the world’s trees, the rate of animal extinction would sky-rocket.

Rainforests in particular make up some of the most biodiverse areas in the world. And, we’re finding new species living in them every day! Between 2014 and 2015, 381 new species of plants and animals were found in the Amazon Rainforest alone! These new discoveries were made in protected areas of the forest. Doesn’t that show that we need to be taking more care of them!

Trees have other, maybe surprising effects!

Trees come with a load of other, interesting benefits which you may not have thought of!

It’s actually been proven that trees have a calming effect on humans. So, perhaps that’s why there’s also lower levels of crime recorded in green urban areas! Who knew? Trees not only keep humanity existing, but they keep us in line too!

Another study has shown that office workers benefit from trees. Those with a view of trees from their desk report significantly less stress and more satisfaction with their work. Maybe you can vouch for this benefit of trees yourself! And, 1.6 billion people worldwide depend on trees for their livelihoods! This list could go on and on.

For all these reasons, we wanted to make planting trees part of Project Nord. After all, our paper is made from the trees that populate the planet. So, it’s only right to respect the source of our product.

We’ve teamed up with Tree Nation to reforest the world!

So far, Tree Nation have planted more than 4 million trees around the globe. That equates to 1.2 million tonnes of CO2 compensated already! For every order you make with Project Nord, a tree will be planted! You can have a look at our forest by viewing the Project Nord Tree Nation profile. Take a look at our responsibility page for all the information you need on Tree Nation.

We’re excited to be working with Tree Nation and hope you are too.

Happy planting!

Written by Jessica Slater.

Images sourced from Pintrest and the Tree Nation website.