“Federal agencies, states, tribes and concerned residents are spending millions of dollars and thousands of hours on 37,000 river restoration projects under way to reverse decades of poor management and combat the mounting threats of population and climate change… Dozens of volunteers spent a recent day planting native trees along a half-mile stretch of the Santa Fe River that has been reduced to a dry, sandy wash.” (Good News from CNN’s Planet in Peril series )
I’m very encouraged to see more and more trees being planted throughout the world. At this point in time, I believe this is one of the best things we can do for our planet. What’s more, anyone can plant a tree, including children! It’s a very empowering and beneficial thing to do.
In my neighborhood we had an empty field that was converted into a wetlands natural area. The community got involved. When my teens were young kids, they planted trees there through their school and the Boy Scouts. The whole area looks fantastic today. It provides a wonderful natural escape from our suburban neighborhood. And my teens like to see how “their” trees — the ones they planted years ago — are doing.
In addition, when we first moved into our house ten years ago there were only two trees in the backyard and none in the front. Slowly we’ve converted our “desert” into a lush landscape, adding an oak tree, a couple of cherry trees, two pear trees, an apricot tree, several aspens, pines, a catalpa, and a hazelnut tree. Our trees have completely transformed our yard, adding beauty, life, and shade.