The Garden - Trees

Trees are vital for all life on Earth. They bind the soil, and encourage soil formation through the rotting of dead plants, leafs and trees. Without the soil agriculture would simply not exist. Trees form a large part of our interior, our houses and they are vital for many of Earth´s ecosystems that render invaluable ecological services. We would certainly not recognize our planet without trees.

Trees and ferns are also older in the history of the Earth than grasses and flowers.  Thus the dinosaurs roamed amongst trees, forests and ferns, but did not eat any grass, as grasses had not evolved during the Jurassic period. Grasses first appear on the surface of the Earth during the Paleogenic interval.

As mankind evolved originally in Africa and lived for thousands of years in the savannah, people often feel an inate securty amongst trees. Trees are a symbol for life itself and they are our guardians and offer an convenient escape route in the savannah if a lion comes along. In the modern city environment trees can be very beneficial as they both act as sound barriers and absorb pollution.

Lately mankind has discovered the importance of trees for absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. It is a fact that planting forests is a good and enduring way to combat climate change. Thus planting forests can be important for countries when negotiating international climate treaties, giving them a better bargaining position. In Iceland the project Kolviður and other such Carbon Fund projects encourage people to support tree planting and forrestry in order to diminish the effects of clobal warming.