Preserving Our Forests, Protecting Our Future

"It was strangely like war. They attacked the forest as if it were an enemy to be pushed back from the beachheads, driven into the hills, broken into patches, and wiped out. Many operators thought they were not only making lumber but liberating the land from the trees..."
[On the first logging of the U.S. Olympic Peninsula, Washington]

- Murray Morgan

June 5 - 11 is Environment Week in Canada, and the week's theme is of interest to tree lovers and the general public alike. Preserving Our Forests, Protecting Our Future is a theme that dovetails nicely with the UN's 2011 International Year of Forests. It gives a much-needed nod to the importance or trees and forests in meeting many basic human needs.

This is a step in the right direction considering the gravity of the situation in Canada, and globally. If we don't protect our forests, the future will be bleak.

Celebrate The Trees

You can take part in a tree-planting campaign during Environment Week. GreenWave is a multi-year global campaign that enables children and youth to make a difference - one school, one tree, one step at a time. Plant a tree and register it at www.greenwave.cbd.int.

Or go for a hike on a local nature trail and revel in the beauty and serenity we are trying to preserve for future generations. Visit a favourite tree or forested area.

Write a letter or email to our elected officials to tell them trees and forest are important to you, and you would like to see real action toward protecting our ancient forests for future generations.

"There can be neither civilization nor happiness if forests crash down under the axe, if the climate is harsh and severe, if people are also harsh and severe. ... What a terrible future!" — Anton Pavlovich Chekhov