Celebrating the International Day of Forests
Earlier this month the celebrating of the International Day of Forests found place. Medpro and Hans Wittrup celebrated the day among many others.
The International Day of Forests let us for a minute take the time to realize how amazing our trees and forests are. In fact, life without them would completely different. Therefore, we should appreciate and protect them and especially the benefits they bring to our environment and us humans.
If you want to celebrate, you could take the time to enjoy a green space near you, for example a park or a forest. Alternatively, you could help plant and protect trees that are more valuable. Cherish the nature and all it does for us — now and in the future.
In recent decades, humans have infiltrated forests for domestic purposes, not realizing that every time a tree is felled an entire community of birds, rodents and other fauna is wiped out. Not to mention that an important source of oxygen is torn down.
Forests are home to a majority of our terrestrial biodiversity. In addition to providing food and protection for wildlife, forests are known to mitigate climate change, provide livelihoods and to offer a variety of medicinal plants and pharmaceutical ingredients.
Why is it important to protect our forests?
Food
From cocoa to apples, avocados, guava, bananas, coconuts, mushrooms, chestnuts, maple juice and more, forests provide delicious, nutritious food grown directly in nature.
These have traditionally been use to supplement basic diets and provide vitamins, minerals and proteins that people may not be able to get elsewhere. Throughout history, they have played an important role in society’s resilience by helping us survive food shortages during floods, droughts, famines, conflicts and other emergencies.
The climate
As climate change develops and intensifies around the world, we have experiences rare and extreme weather events such as floods, landslides, cyclones, droughts and forest fires.
With roots digging deep into the soil and keeping everything together, fire resistant bark that slows the spread of wildfires, leaves that gradually release water vapor, powerful root system that buffers coastal communities against cyclones and much more, healthy forests are our best defenses against natural disasters.
Mental health
Studies have shown that spending time in the nature, even only for a short period, increases our strength and reduces depression, anxiety, fatigue and mental fog. In addition, those lucky enough to live near evergreen forests benefit from the high concentrations of phytoncides — also known as essential airborne oils.
These ‘nature-showers’ are part of the tree’s own medicine and provide powerful stress relief and a natural immune boost that can last for several weeks.
Hans Wittrup and Medpro hope that you in the near future will spend time appreciating the amazing future that surrounds us.
