One of the most popular ways to celebrate Earth Day, on April 22, is to plant a tree. It seems so basic that itās easy to forget the value of doing so. So National Geographic asked Kathleen Rogers, president of Earth Day Network, to explain the importance of trees.
āThey hold our world together,ā said Rogers. āThey support biodiversity, they provide building materials, but theyāre undervalued by all of us.ā
Trees donāt just give birds a place to live and provide shade from the sun, they impact the structure of their environment.
āIf you cut down all the trees and build buildings without vegetation ⦠youāre actually impacting the structure of your house,ā she said. āTrees provide valuable architecture and hold the soil together. When you rip this all up, youāre actually standing on very unstable ground.ā
Deforestation can also worsen the impact of severe weather. When storms hit, trees can protect soil from erosion and decrease flooding.
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