Trees are our friends.

Trees, trees are oh so lovely and they are everywhere but we have to be careful to take care of our friends as so many are being cut down everyday. When a tree is cut down we not only lose a tree but a whole community.  

Trees grow and attract other plants to them and those plants in turn attract different species of insects which believe it or not are good for the environment.

Trees have so much value but sadly too many of us do not understand how important trees are to us. There are actually hundreds of reasons why we need to care for our trees but I will pick out just a few.

The number one reason is that trees help us to breathe clean air, we breathe in what the trees breathe out and the trees breathe in what we breathe out. But that is just the beginning, we love climbing trees , we eat our lunch under trees , we pick fruits from such trees as Mango , Sapodilla , Guinep, Tangerines, Juju, just to name a few . These fruit listed not only taste good but are very good for you.

Let us just take a look at the benefits of Sapodilla, we normally call them Dillies.  Well Dillies are loaded with vitamins and minerals. When you eat a Dilly, you instantly replenish your energy and revitalize your body.

The shade from trees helps keep our homes cooler, thereby using less energy and when we use less energy, we pay less to the electric company.
Unfortunately so many people are afraid of big trees; they fear that the tree will topple onto their roof in a storm or Hurricane; we need not fear tall trees if we properly maintain them by selectively pruning them once per year.

The Bahamas need more young people to educate themselves on the importance of trees, it is important that we pay attention in Biology class because there are so many fun things to learn.  Things such as the leaves are the tree’s food supply and when the leaves fall to the ground they are beneficial to the trees in that they keep the roots cool in summer and warm in the winter. The leaves also help the tree retain moisture that is so beneficial to the tree.

The roots of a tree are very important also. The roots filter the ground’s water and they help the soil to stay together. One mature tree can collect over 750 gallons of rainwater a year. That’s a lot of water!  Up to 75% of the human body is made up of water so we need water in order to live and trees collect water and also help attract rain.

Unfortunately in Nassau, we have cut down so many of our trees and now we have a water barge that brings our water from Andros.

But even now so many people are cutting down trees through the Bahamas so that they can build homes.  While we may have to cut down a few trees to build, far too many of us use a tractor and bull doze every tree on their lot. It is very sad because we lose all these valuable plants and insects along with soil and the trees.

We need to be friendlier to our environment and selectively take down the trees where our house needs to go. Think how lovely homes look that have large canopy trees near them. It is so much cooler in the shade.
Trees are even good for our overall health; here is what Dr. Roger S. Ulrich from Texas A & M University has to say, “In laboratory research, visual exposure to settings with trees has produced significant recovery from stress within five minutes, as indicated by changes in blood pressure and muscle tension”.

Trees make us happy because they give so much to us without asking anything in return. Birds make their homes in the trees and how beautiful they sing rejoicing everyday for life. 
Can you imagine a world without trees?  What a sad place it would be indeed!

I am known as the Tree Lady in Nassau and some of the Family Islands and I have made a business of taking care of trees, but I want you to know that trees are everybody’s business but we humans have destroyed so many trees. We cannot undo what has been done in the past but we can learn from our mistakes and protect the future. There cannot be a future without trees.  When they go, we go!!

We all have a wonderful partnership with trees and our environment and just one person can make a difference, and how do I do that? . When I was a younger woman I did not understand the importance of trees and I worked very hard cutting them down. Then one day it was like I woke up and realize what I was doing was wrong. Now I protect the trees.

Maybe this is a good day for you to wake up and realize how important trees are for you. Become a friend of trees. 

 Now go hug a Tree today....seriously I wont tell a living soul........

Please go to these websites to learn more.

http://www.gardenguides.com/93978-tree-kids.html
http://www.realtrees4kids.org/