Show the love on National Tree Day – Give a leafy friend a hug!
09/21/2011
Hi Folks!
How many trees have you seen since you woke up today? Did you wish any of them a happy National Tree Day? What about a happy National Forest Week? Dig you hug any of those trees??
I started National Tree Day thinking about the innumerable ways that trees (and forests) benefit me and my family each day. For example, we have 16 species* of trees and woody shrubs in our small Ottawa yard, which offer us shade, improve our air quality and attract lots of birds and insects to our backyard. I also have several beautifully handcrafted pieces of wood furniture in my home. Those items represent a market for value-added forest products that can be a big incentive for ecologically and economically sustainable forest management, including things like Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification of forests. Plus, markets for non-timber forest products are growing in Canada and elsewhere, which makes me think of how much I love wild blueberries and cranberries! Not to mention Canada’s amazing forest protected areas!
![](https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ClB4LnIgdX0/Tnoe0XaFP_I/AAAAAAAAAKM/JBi3DmR1K5E/s200/141_1551.jpg)
And having spent time as a kid in ‘working forests’ with my then-silviculturist father, I can’t overlook the importance of trees and forests to many communities across this vast country. The Canadian Forest Service reports that the forest industry – in all of its forms – is the “largest non-urban employer in the country”.
In closing, there’s really not a better time to kick-off Canada’s National Tree Day celebrations than the 2011 United Nations International Year of Forests. Here are some quick facts about global forests from the UN’s International Year of Forests (IYF) website:
- Forests are home to 80% of Earth’s terrestrial biodiversity
- Forests are central to the livelihoods of over 1.6 billion people worldwide
- Forests cover 31% of the Earth’s total land area
Have a wonderful National Tree Day, and a thoughtful National Forest Week!
All photos by A. MacDonald
* No, not all of these are native species, but I’m working to increase the proportion that are native over time.