Are you a Dendrophile?
A dendrophile is someone who loves trees, woodlands and forests!
A recent meme I came across said:
"If the heat bothers you, plant a tree.
If there is too much water around, plant a tree.
If you like fruits, plant a tree.
If you like birds, plant a tree.
And if you like life, plant many trees."
More and more is being learnt about trees
Biologists are now saying that trees are social beings.
- They can count, learn and remember.
- They nurse sick members.
- They warn each other of danger by sending electrical signals across a fungal network.
- And, for reasons unknown, keep the ancient stumps of long felled companions alive for centuries by feeding them a sugar solution through their roots.
Here in the UK, the Woodland Trust is a thriving charity totally devoted to trees and woodland. They list their A to Z of British trees here for those interested in identifying such trees. Part of their work is providing those who care with native woodland trees and hedge plants so they can be planted in appropriate settings.
Another charity, Tree People, tells us there are at least 22 benefits from trees
The ones you may well know about are those to do with the environment such as combatting climate change; cleaning the air; and providing oxygen.
There are other environmentally helpful ones too:
- Cooling the streets and the city in hot weather.
- Conserving energy.
- Saving water.
- Helping prevent water pollution.
- Helping prevent soil erosion.
There are others that directly affect us
- Shielding children from ultra violet rays while providing a natural playground
- Providing us with food.
- Helping with healing.
- Reducing violence.
- Marking the seasons.
- Creating economic opportunities.
- Being teachers and playmates.
- Bringing diverse groups of people together.
- Promoting unity.
- Increasing property values.
- Increasing business traffic.
- Providing us with wood and timber for a host of different uses.
And of course...
The very important task of providing a canopy and habitat for wildlife.
There is more
This link shares three surprising life lessons you can learn from trees and quotes literature and illustrates paintings that feature trees.
Trees are often in the news and now a tree that is new to science has been named after the American film actor Leonardo DiCaprio. Scientists at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, say they wanted to honour the star for his help in saving a rainforest from logging. The tree, which has been given the official name, Uvariopsis dicaprio, grows only in the Cameroon forest. Dr. Martin Cheek of Kew said "We think he was crucial in helping to stop the logging of the Ebo Forest." This is one of the largest relatively untouched rainforests in Central Africa, home to the Banen people and an array of unique flora and fauna, including threatened gorillas, chimps and forest elephants.
We have written before on the benefits of green exercise for our mental health, pointing out that just five minutes – yes five minutes – of exercise in a park, working in a backyard garden, on a nature trail or other green space will benefit mental health.
Of course, the longer you spend in nature the more benefits you can accrue and the more trees around the better!
SOURCES
What Are The Biggest Trees In America? (treetriage.com)
Altered climate memory characterizes tree growth during forest dieback - ScienceDirect
Trees, Forests and People | Journal | ScienceDirect.com by Elsevier
Written by Jane Chitty
Jane writes for Healing Natural Oils, a producer and retailer of high-quality, all-natural treatments for a variety of conditions as well as a range of beauty products. Apart from writing about those various conditions, she also covers general health, environmental and other subjects of interest. She has lived in Kenya as well as Cape Town, South Africa and spent time in San Diego, USA. She now lives in Somerset, England with regular visits from her far-flung children and grandchildren. She is a keen gardener and enjoys growing fresh fruit and vegetables with her husband on their joint allotment. As a result, there is something available to use in the kitchen virtually all year round. Her regular posts can be found on our blog.