Have you ever asked yourself why more and more people are obsessing over planting more trees? Why are they worried about the Amazon fires? Well, if not, now's the time to do so.

Roman Markov/Unsplash | America has lost around 36 million trees annually over a period of five years

According to a US Forest Service study published in 2020, America has lost around 36 million trees annually over a period of five years. Even though the loss has been 1% less than what the country experienced from 2009 to 2014, it's still alarming. A senior US Forest Service scientist and co-author of the study, David Nowak, said if we kept losing trees at the same rate, one-day American cities would be warmer, polluter, and unhealthier for people to live. He even revealed the reason behind the decline in the tree canopy and how US citizens could contribute to stopping it.

Why is our tree canopy declining?

Among other things, Nowak held floods, tornadoes, fires, hurricanes, and insects responsible for the decline in the tree canopy. He said that even though we can't control natural factors, we can reverse the tree loss with some sensible development. Giving the example of parking lots and buildings replacing natural green cover, he said that the tree cover gets replaced with some impervious thing every year. Nowak further stated that every new road or building constructed and every tree removed for it affects the area. In fact, it affects the whole region.

Colin Watts/Unsplash | Every new road or building constructed and every tree removed for it affects the tree cover in the area

How can it be stopped?

There are numerous easy ways of stopping tree loss. Here are some closest to Nowak's heart.

#1 – Start with a small goal

Instead of worrying about trees everywhere in the world, first, people should take care of the trees on their property. Nowak said that since people pay for their houses, they maintain them. But just because they don't invest in nature, they take it for granted, which is incorrect.

#2 – Trim them regularly

Nowak advised people to prune the limbs of the trees. He said if the limbs are small, people should cut them themselves, or else when they grow bigger, they can damage their houses.

#3 – Check your trees every day

Just like humans, trees also give signals when they're not doing fine. When trees are in trouble, their branches become weak, their leaves start falling, and mushrooms start growing on them. If you find any such signs on the trees around you, call an expert immediately.

David Sager/Unsplash | Just like humans, trees also give signals when they're not doing fine. Look out for such signs and heed to them

#4 – Don’t cut down old trees

It takes years for a plant to become a tree, and once a tree grows, it can live up to 50 to 100 years. If you cut down an old tree and plant a new one in its place, there's no guarantee whether the plant will grow or whether it'll be healthy. So don’t mess with the old trees out there.

Now that you know how to improve the condition of trees around you, don't you think educating others in your circle would be a great idea? Try to spread the word as much as you can. Even a tiny contribution on your part can make a big difference in saving the planet.