Dear Editor:
With fires destroying ever-larger areas of the Amazon Rain Forest, and other forests around the world, it is obvious we need to replace this loss by planting trees.
Trees are known as the lungs of the Earth for their capacity to produce oxygen, and with rapidly increasing CO2 emissions, trees can play an important role in sequestering carbon from the atmosphere. The cooling effect from forest cover decreases air temperature and increases moisture in the air. The beneficial affect of trees and forests is indisputable in the battle against global warming. A recent study published in the academic journal Science claims if humans are able to cover an additional one billion hectares of Earth with trees, the process of global warming could be greatly slowed down.
The spectre of climate change is world-wide, but we need to act locally. Ontario already has initiatives in place to protect wetlands under the Conservation Land Tax incentive program. This allows landowners a tax exemption on provincially significant wetlands on their property. Why not have a similar program to encourage reforestation and to protect significant-sized woodlots on farms?
As a recently-retired soils scientist I am aware that many farms have marginal land that has been cleared of trees in the past for agricultural purposes … These marginal lands are better suited to forest use and should be the focus for reforestation of marginal land.
A tree planting program could be established that involves youth. I think many young people would be attracted to such a worthwhile cause as it will have a positive effect on their future well being.
Youth could be trained to assist with tree planting and provide advice and assistance to farmers in monitoring and management of their reforested acres. Surely some of the revenue generated from the carbon tax program could be available to support such an endeavour.
Cliff Acton,
Erin