The masterclass of the global forests takes place every single day. This has been going on for about 500 million years on planet Earth. These exercises have conferred on trees a unique genetic endowment of DNA and RNA. These lessons have led to a condition described in science as “a division of labour”. This phenomenon can only be pictured as a circumspect knowledge of self and a unique separation of cells into discrete functioning elements. The whole is a unit. Yet, it is still separate. This happens in the human body also, a heart cell is not a skin cell. And thus each creation is singular, as one tree species is to another. Forests all over the planet are carved into their own niche. This is a learned experience by every tree in the forest. Then in turn, the individual experience of each tree is also dependent on its neighbour. Thus the intertwined community called a forest is formed, on rich and poor land, on wet and very dry land, on mountains and on riparian areas. All of these global forests forge an important link to the oceans with one element called iron. For general purposes, iron is plentiful on land and scarce in the seas. A forest initiates a transport train into the oceans as a catalyst. This fires up the foundation of food starting with the blue-green algae (Cyanophyta). Thus the marine mammals, the fish and whales are fed. The most important lesson that any tree has learned is an extraordinary reaction that is by far the most important for the maintenance of life. It is called the Photosynthetic Reaction. Essentially, the design of the tree is to reach into the atmosphere on a long pole and react with the atmosphere and sunshine. The tree, all trees, with their pocket scrap of leaf DNA can capture carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. This captured gas is then shared in two as carbon and oxygen. The carbon gets packed into the tree as food. The life-giving oxygen enriches the air.

The green machine of the forests has been broken. Too many trees have come down. Thus, the green molecular ability to capture atmospheric carbon dioxide has been severely reduced. The amount of CO2 is increasing daily, many new disciplines of science are running to catch up with this disaster. The truth is that we are all captive to this situation. Many of us will lose our homes and more again our lives — if we do not take immediate action now! There are many ways to look at the giant carbon cycle of our planet. And there are many answers to carbon capture and recharge. Some are dangerous, most are expensive. The very best one is to roll up your sleeves, buy a shovel and plant trees. Together we must begin to repair the havoc we have caused. Our advantage is in our numbers. My calculations to rewind the carbon clock is that each one of us plant one tree per person for the next six years. Then we make sure to maintain the forest systems that are already working for us, like the work Nature Canada does to save the Boreal from clearcutting. Part of this plan is to protect the remainder of the ancient forests that exist all over the world. This cannot be replaced. I call this my Forest Bioplan. For suggestions on species of trees to plant, please consult my app at calloftheforest.ca and watch my film Call of the Forest: The Forgotten Wisdom of Trees. Also, I have written my books for you. They can be obtained in your local library. Please read them, if you have not already done so. I will have another important book on answers to climate change coming out next year. Today, begin with, “To speak for the Trees, my life’s journey from Ancient Celtic wisdom to a healing vision of the Forest.” Now, it is up to all of us!

Diana B. Beresford-Kroeger BSc. med. biochem.,BSc. bot., MSc., PhD., Dipl surg., LLD 

Nature Canada is very grateful to Diana for sharing this special piece just for our members like you. We’re proud to bring you voices of experts who share our passion for the natural world. Thanks to your support, we continue to press the federal government to improve the 2 Billion Trees program. It needs to plant trees that remain in the ground over the long term and meets key requirements for biodiversity. The Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development just found that 14% of trees planted so far were in plantations consisting of a single species, which does not meaningfully contribute to biodiversity goals and are more susceptible to disease.