Water world again? It’s time to   look ourselves up in the mirror

By Alex P. Vidal 

“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.” – Abraham Lincoln

WE are saying this again for the umpteenth time: we should have started planting trees massively at least 90 to 100 years ago.

We mean, a no-nonsense tree-planting activity and not just a ningas cogon style or pakitang tao gimmickry to score pogi points.

And while doing it, deforestation should have been done sparingly if it couldn’t be avoided.

Life could not exist on Earth without trees because they produce most of the oxygen that humans and wildlife breathe.

Trees absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and release oxygen using the process of photosynthesis.

If we did, several towns and villages that submerged from flash floods in the city and province of Iloilo when typhoon after typhoon terrorized Panay Island and the entire country for that matte these past weeks would have been protected.

Several lives in other parts of the country would have been saved including damages of millions worth of property and agriculture.

Storms normally bring heavy rains and strong winds, but if our mountain slopes are surrounded by trees, water can’t easily inundate the villages.

Trees help clean the air we breathe, filter the water we drink, and provide habitat to over 80 percent of the world’s terrestrial biodiversity.

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One Tree Planted said forests provide jobs to over 1.6 billion people, absorb harmful carbon from the atmosphere, and are key ingredients in 25 percent of all medicines.

Trees also play a key role in capturing rainwater and reducing the risk of natural disasters like floods and landslides.

Their intricate root systems act like filters, removing pollutants and slowing down the water’s absorption into the soil. This process prevents harmful waterslide erosion and reduces the risk of over-saturation and flooding.

According to the UN Food and Agriculture Association, a mature evergreen tree can intercept more than 15,000 liters of water every year.

From arborists to loggers and researchers, the job opportunities provided by the forestry industry are endless.

We don’t just rely on trees for work, though.Sustainable tree farming provides timber to build homes and shelters, and wood to burn for cooking and heating.

Food-producing trees provide fruit, nuts, berries, and leaves for consumption by both humans and animals, and pack a powerful nutritional punch.

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So disturbed and alarmed was Iloilo Governor Arthur “Toto” Defensor Jr. that he had reportedly called for expansion of tree planting activities in the mountains to reclaim secondary forest lost in irresponsible and reckless deforestation.

This is a wise move. The governor may need the total support of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan to pursue this herculean task.

We may be late, but it’s better to do something than crying over a spilled milk; it’s better to light a candle instead of cursing the darkness.

Sometimes only during calamities can our resolve be revitalized.

We are motivated to do something or spring into action with absolute urgency only after we have been caught off-guarded and unable to save lives and properties.

On the other hand, we can’t prevent people from cutting down trees. We need to build stores, houses, and other buildings.

We also cut down trees to clear land for agricultural use. In some cases, trees are cut down for wood for fires to heat up our homes and cook food.

If we cut trees, it’s but logical that we also plant more trees.

If we continue to be neglectful and irresponsible, we will wake up one day on the verge of being swept away by heavy floods to the kingdom come when heavy storms bombard us like a thief in the night.

Planting of trees is a responsibility that must be carried out by all people regardless of sex, economic status, age, religion and political affiliation.

We shouldn’t rely on our government alone.

We must think of what we can do for our environment, and not what our environment can do for us, to paraphrase JFK’s popular adage on government and our role.

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Let me share this “Tree Riddles” from the Trees Group:

This is the place for the most interesting tree riddles, forest-themed brain teasers, and nature-inspired puzzles, as well as riddles about trees, environment enigmas, and woodland conundrums. 

What weighs more, a pound of leaves or a pound of logs? 

They both weigh the same. 

Which side of a tree has the most leaves? 

The outside. 

What kind of trees do you get when you plant kisses? 

Tulips. 

How do you get down from a tree? 

You don’t. Down comes from a duck. 

What gets a year older whenever it rings? 

A tree. 

What can pass through a tree without rustling any leaves? 

Sunlight. 

The more of it there is in the forest, the less you can see. What is it? 

Darkness. 

What looks like half a spruce tree? 

The other half. 

How far can a monkey run through the rainforest? 

Just halfway. After that, it’s running out of the rainforest. 

What color is the rain in a painting of the rainforest? 

Water color. 

Which animals can jump higher than a tree? 

All of them. Trees can’t jump! 

How many oranges grow on a tree? 

All of them. 

What’s the same size and shape as a giant sequoia tree, yet weighs nothing? 

A giant sequoia tree’s shadow. 

What do you get when you cross a fallen tree with a very organized feline? 

A catalog. 

There are 52 birds perched on a single tree branch. A poacher comes along and shoots one of those birds twice. How many birds are on the tree branch now? 

There are no birds on the tree branch now. The bird that was shot fell off, and the rest of the birds flew away after the first shot. 

What tree has two eyes but can’t see? 

White Pine. 

Which is more likely to break one of the laws of nature, a large rock or a large tree? 

A large rock, because it’s boulder. 

What does a tree sapling become after it is 30 days old? 

Thirty-one days old. 

I’m the part of a tree that is not in the sky or under the ground. I can move throughout the day and change shape. What am I? 

Its shadow. 

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor-in-chief of two leading daily newspapers in Iloilo, Philippines. – Ed)