Today is the International Day of Forests. At ACE, as part of our response, we will be planting another 15 trees this spring. They are Rowan, Hazel and Crab Apple which are native species that help to support wildlife and maintain biodiversity in the school grounds.

In the Environment Club last week we looked at some of the amazing things that trees do for the environment. These include:

  • removing carbon dioxide from the air
  • adding oxygen to the air
  • Soil maintenance – helping to build soil and keep it healthy
  • Soil stabilisation – holding soil together and reducing soil erosion
  • Habitat – providing a home for other living things above and below ground
  • Food – for humans and other creatures
  • Water regulation – tree roots helps water to seep into the soil, to drain and to retain it rather than it flowing over the surface and eroding the soil
  • Climate management – trees affect their local climate. Big forests like the Amazon are called rain forests because they help to generate the rain
  • Provide shade – with increasingly hot summers this will become even more important. Trees help to regulate the temperature by providing shade and moisture
  • Wind protection – trees protect other plants and animals around them from the wind as well as helping to prevent soil erosion from the wind
  • Good for mental health – sitting under a tree, walking through a wood, forest bathing (or even hugging a tree) is good for our mental health!
  • Clean air – trees help to filter the air and keep it clean
  • Clean water – trees help to keep water clean
  • Provide timber – trees provide timber for building and other construction projects

Those are the ones we thought of. Can you think of any others?