Trees, wood and people

Introduction

Since they evolved trees have had a great influence on the shaping of the ecology of our planet and in determining the present arrangements of life on earth. Of particular importance for us has been the role of trees in the evolution of mankind and the development of human cultures and communities.

The origins of man

Some 65 million years ago, just after the demise of the dinosaurs, a small rat-like species of mammal (now known as a prosimian) left the ground and took to life in the trees. Eventually after 50 million years had passed, this creature returned to the ground as the ancestor of man.

The period spent in the environment of the trees was of great formative importance because it promoted many physical changes. These changes included a massive increase in body size, the development of paws into hands and 3D colour vision. The physical changes were mapped by an increase in the size and the capability of the brain. Thus prosimian developed into simian.

The increase in stature led to changes in posture which enabled some simians to stand upright. Eventually one of these species was able to walk on two legs.

It was these changes which led to the descent from the trees and eventually to homo sapiens. So it can be seen that without trees the evolution of prosimian into man would never have taken place. Without trees we would not be here.

The development of human civilization

The development of civilization has been dependent on wood based technologies. Where would we be without such aspects of our culture as fire, agriculture, the wheel, the use of metals, spinning, weaving, water and land based transport, building, and printing? Our technological culture could not have developed without wood.

The wonder and the mystery

On many people trees exert a powerful emotional influence. To many of us a tree is a thing of spiritual sustenance and renewal. The tree is the embodiment of mankind's condition: birth, life, death, regeneration and rebirth. The rising sap is the spirit of life and seeds and fruit are the symbols of fertility.

The importance of trees

Trees are the largest and longest living organisms on earth. To grow tall the tree has become a miracle of engineering and a complex chemical factory. It is able to take water and salts out of the earth and lift them up to the leaves, sometimes over 400 ft above. By means of photosynthesis the leaves combine the water and salts with carbon dioxide from the air to produce the nutrients which feed the tree. In this process, as well as wood, trees create many chemicals, seeds and fruit of great utility to man. Trees also remove carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas, from the air.

Trees are of continued importance to the environment. Tropical rain forests have of particular significance; although they now occupy less than 6 per cent of the land surface of the earth they probable sustain more than half of the biological species on the planet.

Notwithstanding the debt we owe to trees, their emotive power, and their importance to other forms of life, the forested area of the earth is steadily being depleted. This is leading to the degradation of the environment and the extinction of many species. There is now a real danger that in the not very distant future man will destroy a large proportion of the present population of species on earth, create an uninhabitable environment, and then die out himself. If this happens it will not be the first time that a large proportion of the species on the earth have been extinguished.

Me2Everyone.com decided to launch TreeHa project as a profit venture.

Across the next few years will be planted at least One Billion trees directly from the TreeHa! membership.

It will create new work every year for one million rural families in most underdeveloped countries globally!

These families can become self-sufficient through use of modern agro forestry expertise and across the years as new seeds are produced, they can swell to help others.

So easy to be involved AND MAKE PROFIT:

• You buy a tree pack — these start from a low price of GBP £7.00
• TreeHa! partners plants your trees
• These are handed to local communities to care for/make money from
• In return for helping the environment and these communities TreeHa! Give you M2Everyone shares for every tree planted
• Then as TreeHa! Make profits and expand, so does the value of your shares

Everyone wins:

The environment, home communities, M2Everyone and YOU!

This is enormous, so far highly rewarding Opening for me2everyone members to be involved with:

1) The TreeHa! Project that can be easily deployed

2) It can create solid significant profit for members of any level

3) It protects and improves the environment

4) It aids rural communities in under-developed countries

5) It provides food, resources, medicines etc.

6) It protects villages and crops.

7) It provides poor people in developing nations with an income from agro forestry.

8) It creates profits for M2Everyone and benefits all members.

The TreeHa! Partner Program has already been launched and enables you to make an unbelievable boost to M2E and the TreeHa! Project (also it has the potential to make YOU plenty of profit).

TreeHa! Does offer 7 different membership levels:

Every package comes with a certificate, GPS location (for tracking), periodical updates on tree growth and the difference it’s making on local communities.

You receive one M2E registered share for every tree planted. Also members gain 10% commission when they sponsor a new TreeHa! Member and other bonuses.

TreeHa! is an exciting, real opportunity and creates a steady revenue stream for you, through a Me2Everyone' members shareholding.

Visit www.me2everyone.com , become a Member (it is free and take only few minutes to join), find more information on the "TreeHa!" project and discover how you can become involved as a partner - actively helping improve the environment (and your own well being too).

Some more ore information about a TreeHa!

• it will be run in partnership with CEOSA and will apply for UNEP (United Nations Environmental Program) endorsement during 2010.
• TreeHa is associated with Grace & Dave Deppner and their "Trees for the Future" organization. They have planted 65 million trees since 1989.
• They have 300,000 farmers across some of the poorest countries on Earth looking after these trees and living off their produce:

Burkina Faso

Burundi

Cameroon

Ethiopia

Ghana

Guinea

Kenya

Mali

Niger

Senegal

Tanzania

Uganda

Zambia

India

Philippines

Brazil

Haiti

Honduras

Nicaragua

Going For Green Pakistan

The leader companies from all over the world have joined hands to take steps for environmental protection. These companies came to know that how much are the hazards of the global warming and other global pollution scenarios. In this unique type of initiative that has been taken for the first time by the world’s successive companies one Pakistani company has also a distinction to join hands with the other companies. Mobilink is the leader marketing cellular company in Pakistan, and such steps by such a great company may give a positive picture of Pakistan in the global vision.

The remember able meeting was held in Copenhagen in which all the global leaders were present and they have signed up on this specific resolution of making a proper, efficient and an energetic structure for the climate protection in different regions of the world, wherever they may approach. These all effective global leaders had signed showed the strong motive to make such a green climate within the regions for the best and long term health and living facilities. This particular type of accordance would most probably be represented to all the nations of the world to make the things easier and achievable for these companies. The next big step is to send the resolution to the General Secretary of the UN and make it friendly to all the nations of the world.

One Billion Trees For Planet Earth

TreeHa is a massive, but highly rewarding venture for me2everyone members to be involved in. The project can be instantly deployed and can create money for all me2everyone members.

If you haven´t yet, register for free at me2everyone.com and receive 2000 shares just for joining.

TreeHa improves the environment, aids communities, provides food and medicines, protects villages and gives five million farmers in developing nations a lifelong income from agroforestry.

We want to create the resources to plant at least one billion trees directly from the TreeHa! membership. That’s enough to create new work every year for one million farming families in: Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, India, Philippines, Brazil, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua...

Across the next five years, TreeHa members will enable one billion new trees to be planted in developing nations and within five years the seeds from those trees will begin making some of the necessary changes on Earth.

What's really important from your perspective is that TreeHa is the first profit centre for me2everyone.com; something that will eventually begin to give the company profits and increases in the share value. Also, 21.4% of all income from TreeHa membership sales will be directed into improving the me2everyone.com website - your website. We have a wonderful opportunity to create huge benefits for the planet, ensure that millions of families have access to food and a living and give you and all your friends the website you deserve from us. TreeHa is the beginning.

Me2everyone members are able to sell TreeHa membership packs and earn very good commissions in addition to creating a really good, positive impact for the environment. They are great for fundraisers, wonderful as presents, a way for companies to give incentives to their customers and did we mention that there are wonderful benefits for our TreeHa partners?

Removal of Ancient Trees in Pakistan

Removal of trees from the land is called deforestation. It occurs when human beings cut down trees to use as fuel, for building materials or to obtain land for agricultural, developmental, or other purposes. Deforestation is one of the major environmental problems in Pakistan. The rate of cutting down of common as well as rare trees is visibly on the increase.

Imagine how common trees serve humanity and keep the environment balanced. Trees help attract clouds for rain and also help to reduce the amount of carbon monoxide in the air, which in turn reduces global warming. They slow the rate of desertification. Forests help recharge ground water and sustain stream flows. Clusters of trees have a positive impact on the incidence of diseases by filtering polluted air, reducing smog formation, shading out solar radiation and by providing an eye-catching, soothing surroundings for recreation. And by deforestation we deprive ourselves from all these natural benefits.

Despite the obvious benefits, rates of deforestation are highest in Pakistan. The primary causes of deforestation are over harvesting by domestic cutting in private forests are widespread poverty, population pressure, lack of fuel wood alternatives, and a lack of awareness about sustainable resource use methods. Uncontrolled use of pesticides, diseases and damage by insects, and fires are some other causes of forest degradation. Pakistani forests, or whatever is left of them, are in urgent need of protection and conservation.

The deforestation phenomenon is more serious in case of slow growing and rare junipers trees that are living in mountainous areas of Balochistan for 2,000 or even 3,000 years. A potent mixture of economic pressures and population growth has forced people in remote areas to fell tree cover. Juniper forests in Ziarat and Chilghoza forests in Suleman Range and are examples of rare forests at the verge of extinction in Pakistan.

The juniper is among the few trees that can survive the harsh climatic conditions. The juniper forests of Balochistan are an ecological and cultural treasure of the country. Although a segment of it in Ziarat is known to tourists and scientists, a rather larger segment of the juniper forest in Zargoon, situated about 30 kilometers from Queta, remained hidden till the scientific committee of a concerned international NGO held its meeting in Zargoon and started exploring for conserving the Forest. Ziarat and Zargoon juniper forest have an extremely slow growth rate and face very harsh climatic and geophysical conditions.

Similarly, chilghoza is another rare tree in Pakistan. Spread over an area of 260 kilometers square, Suleiman Range has one of the largest stands of chilghoza pines in the world. In addition to serving as a critical habitat for the endemic Suleiman markhor, the forest is vital for local residents. Part of the income of local communities comes from either through the sale of chilghoza seeds – delight for the long winter nights — or related activities.

Deforestation could be avoided or at least minimized by planting trees and building forests. Tree planting is one of the most valid fields of activities for sustainable and easy way to improve our environment, whether we are living in urban areas or in the remote backwaters in rural areas. Rare juniper and chilghoza tress in Balochistan deserve more careful treatment for conservation. After all, juniper tree takes some 1500 years to grow to maturity.

Ufone Volunteer Group Marks ‘Plant a Tree’ campaign

Employees of Ufone recently took part in an eco-friendly activity in Damial in which they conducted ‘Plant a Tree’ campaign jointly with the 150 students of The Citizens Foundation (TCF) Primary School.

This campaign was conducted at the Gen. Fazal-e-Muqueem Khan Campus of TCF Primary School. Ufone, a socially responsible organization has always played a major role in helping the children of Pakistan. Under the umbrella of child health care the revamp of the PAEDS ward at the Policlinic is one such example where Ufone has provided state-of-the-art facilities for the children which is at par with any private hospital facility.

The Ufone Volunteer Group which has been created to help give back to the society, went to visit and spend some time to share the importance of a green and healthy environment. TCF Students were enthusiastic to plant as many trees as possible as each one of them wished to make a positive difference for their nation.

Mr. Akbar Khan Chief Marketing Officer Ufone said, “We, at Ufone are focused to bring a smile to all and with this activity our employees have helped do just that with our stakeholders”. “The children at the school visited are the future of our country and it is our social obligation to help educate and create a sense of patriotism within each one of the children of our country”, he added.

WWF rewards Pakistan for tree planting world record

Pakistan set the Guinness World Record for tree planting, beating India in a healthy and productive international competition contributing to preserving fragile and endangered forests.

With 541,176 young mangroves trees planted by 300 volunteers from the local fishermen communities just in one day, the country broke the previous 447,874 record held by historical rival India.

In response to the achievement WWF awarded Pakistan’s Environment Minister Hameed Ullah Jan Afridi the Leaders of the Planet title, an award recognizing individuals making a significant personal contribution to the conservation of the natural world and sustainable development.

"This is a wonderful example of partnership between government, local communities and the private sector for a common cause, for conservation,"said Richard Garstang, the head of WWF Pakistan Wetlands Programme.

"It is good to see a productive competition between Pakistan and India. We hope that tree planting competitions will become as popular as cricket matches,"he said.

The mangrove tree planting event was held in the vast wetland ecosystem of the Indus River Delta in the Southern Sindh Province, some 150 km south east from Karachi - a unique sanctuary of biodiversity designated in 2002 by the Government of Pakistan as a Ramsar Site (Wetland of International Importance), with support from WWF International Freshwater Programme.

Covered in mud and sweating, the 300 volunteers who have been trained to plant record numbers without using any mechanical equipment, worked all day in a temperature of up to 37° before breaking the score.
Their efforts were also a special contribution to the global fight against climate change.

Scientists say deforestation contributes to about 20 percent of all carbon dioxide emissions and that reducing deforestation is one of the quickest ways to fight rising temperatures. Forested Wetlands such as mangroves, flooded forests and many peatlands play a crucial role in this respect.

"Mangrove reestablishment strongly correlates with climate change adaptation, biodiversity conservation and improving community livelihoods," said Anada Tiega, Secretary General of Secretary General of Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.

A planting interval of just over 2 m was used in order to give the young Red Mangroves plenty of room to spread their canopies as they grow. Planting was confined to the mudflats of the inter-tidal zone - the area between the high and low tide marks. The trees are expected occupy approximately 325 ha of the island.

Mangroves are being cut in Pakistan and other countries for fodder, fuel and timber but their over- utilization has very damaging consequences. Apart from their crucial role in providing habitat for many organisms including fish, shrimps, lobsters, oysters and algae, mangroves also protect the coast from erosion, as well as hurricanes and tsunamis.

Forests of Pakistan

Deforestation taking Pakistan’s temperature up:

Deforestation is the main reason for the expansion of the heat-zone, reduction in the flow of the Indus and shrinkage of the Indus Delta, said PCSIR (Pakistan Council for Scientific and Industrial Research) former director general Dr Mirza Arshad Ali Baig.

He was speaking at a seminar on “Challenges of Global Warming” Sunday. The seminar was organised by the Memon Professional Forum (MPF) in collaboration with the Institute of Engineers Pakistan (IEP), Karachi Centre, at the IEP Auditorium.

Baig went on to say that Pakistan is facing the extreme impact of climate variations in the form of changes in monsoon patterns, storms and cyclones, including cyclone O2A in May 1999 and floods in 2003 along the coastal belt of Badin and cyclone Guno and Yemyin in June 2007.

He was of the view that tectonic movement of earth-plates, which caused the massive earthquake disaster in October 2005, were also a consequence of global warming and anti-environment practices.

Calling deforestation a major cause of global warming, Mirza said forestry has been registering a negative growth for the last three years in the country. It was taking place at the rate of 800 sq. km., 0.2-0.5 percent per annum, which affects over 43 million acres of land annually. He added that three to four kilometers of glaciers have already retreated in the Eastern Himalayas, and the glaciers at its western end, the Pakistani side, were consolidating rather than melting.

NGO Shehri-CBE’s Sameer Dodhi pointed out that studies have proven that a 10 percent increase in green space may reduce the area’s temperature by four degrees centigrade and tree-lined streets also lessen the chances of asthma. Shehri is in the process of documenting all amenity and open spaces across Karachi’s 18 towns and cantonment areas to monitor whether these public spaces are being used as planned or not. The documentation is almost complete along with picture records and a report would be made public by the end of this year. Dodhi stressed that Shehri was not against development, but believed that the process should be for all segments of society and not be carried out at the cost of the environment.

Dodhi was also worried about the constant reduction in Mangroves along the coastal belt of Karachi as they act as a safety wall and purify the air. He also stressed the need to provide better public transport so that the ‘own-a-car’ culture is countered as it is one of the greatest sources of pollution.

MPF President Siddiq Essa said that greenhouse gases were at an all-time high at present, and Carbon Dioxide alone has registered a 28 percent growth in the last few decades. Deforestation and pollution are the major factors destabilizing the environment. online

TreeHa Pakistan