So what has a tree done for me lately?

WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY

FORESTS: NATURE AT YOUR SERVICE | 05 JUNE

                                        HOST COUNTRY

            India named Global Host of World Environment Day 2011                                                           

This is a great page: TREE OF THE DAY from the World Environment Day site ...

INDIA

The Neem Tree

Natures drugstore!

The Neem tree is truly an agro-scientific celebrity and has been declared the “Tree of the 21st century” by the United Nations. The benefits of this tree are numerous. Did you know that the Neem tree, for example, is variously know as 'Natures Drugstore' (or 'Village Pharmacy' in India) - because of its status as a cure-all tree?

The Neem tree has antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, antihistamine and antiseptic characteristics, and can also be used to treat boils, pimples, eye diseases, hepatitis, leprosy, rheumatism, scrofula, ringworm and ulcers. It is practically a locally grown pharmacy all in a single tree.

You can even use the leaf teas to treat malaria.  To top it off, you can use the twigs of the tree as a toothbrush and to prevent periodontal diseases.

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A TREE A DAY

Baobab

Silk Cotton Tree

Long Pod Cassia

Marula

Myrrha

Oil Palm

Narrow Leaved Tea-Tree

Macadamia

Eucalypt

Maiden Hair

Himalayan Pine

Willow

The Yew Tree

The Neem Tree

Horseradish Tree

The Fig Tree

Bael Fruit

Indian Frankincense

The Babul Tree

Sugar Palm

Camphora Tree

Siam Benzoin

Ginger Thomas

Papaya

Big Leaf Mahogany

Monkey Puzzle Tree

Lipstick Tree

Red Cinchona

Bristelcone Pine

Giant Sequoia

True Mangroves

The Coconut Palm

Forests: Nature At Your Service

Forests cover one third of the earth’s land mass, performing vital functions and services around the world which make our planet alive with possibilities.  In fact, 1.6 billion people depend on forests for their livelihoods.  They play a key role in our battle against climate change, releasing oxygen into the atmosphere while storing carbon dioxide. 

Forests feed our rivers and are essential to supplying the water for nearly 50% of our largest cities.  They create and maintain soil fertility; they help to regulate the often devastating impact of storms, floods and fires. 

Splendid and inspiring, forests are the most biologically diverse ecosystems on land, and are home to more than half of the terrestrial species of animals, plants and insects. 

Forests also provide shelter, jobs, security and cultural relevance for forest-dependent populations.  They are the green lungs of the earth, vital to the survival of people everywhere -- all seven billion of us.

Forests embody so much of what is good and strong in our lives. Yet despite all of these priceless ecological, economic, social and health benefits, we are destroying the very forests we need to live and breathe. 

Global deforestation continues at an alarming rate -- every year, 13 million hectares of forest are destroyed.  That’s equal to the size of Portugal.  

Short-term investments for immediate gains (e.g., logging) compound these losses.  People who depend on forests for their livelihoods are struggling to survive.  Many precious species face extinction.  Biodiversity is being obliterated.  What’s more, economists around the world have proven that by not integrating the values of forests into their budgets, countries and businesses are paying a high price.  One that ultimately impoverishes us all as harm to our forest life-support system continues each and every single day.

But this trend is not irreversible.  It’s not too late to transform life as we know it into a greener future where forests are at the heart of our sustainable development and green economies.

Conserving forests and expanding them need to be recognized as a business opportunity.  When we add it up, an investment of US$30 billion fighting deforestation and degradation could provide a return of US$2.5 trillion in new products and services. 

Furthermore, targeted investments in forestry could generate up to 10 million new jobs around the world.  Already, many leaders are glimpsing the potential for renewable energy and nature-based assets, but for transformation to happen, forests need to become a universal political priority.

The services forests provide are essentially to every aspect of our quality of life. And the answer to sustainable forest management, moving towards a green economy, lies in our hands. 

Doesn’t knowing this make it so much easier to see the forest from the trees!