Forests on the Trust Area Islands

Why Are Trees Important to Us?

Come take a walk in the forest with us. It’s a hot summer day on this island in the Salish Sea; the sun has been beating down on the trees for hours now and there is a piney scent here that is sweet, pleasant, even refreshing. The air seems cleaner and at least 5°c cooler under the trees than it did out on the road.

Technical

The forest is made up of many parts integrated into a dance of ecology. The trees hold soil and water in place with their roots and the fungi that connect them. Trees provide shelter for birds and animals. They slow the rain so it can sink into the ground helping to maintain wetlands and watersheds for the benefit of all living creatures. Trees take in carbon dioxide for photosynthesis and give off oxygen for us to breathe.

Scientists like Suzanne Simard have discovered, through carbon mapping experiments, that birch and fir trees actually share carbon nutrients with one another through a complex web of mycorrhizal fungi below the ground. These fungi provide water and minerals for the trees and in return the trees provide the fungi with chlorophyll (sugar).
Conifers release essential oils, called terpenes, from their leaves. These oils have antimicrobial and antibacterial properties that actually do clean the air. On a hot day like today, the trees release even more terpenes which rise in the heat to float above the forest, attracting water molecules to form clouds, effectively cooling the forest. If there is enough moisture around, then rain clouds may even form sending precious water back down into the forest.
Cultural
Western red cedar is said to be the cornerstone of northwest coast native culture. The Kwakwaka’wakw call it ‘the tree of life’ and it traditionally provided material for many necessities, including dugout canoes, totem poles, cradles, coffins, dishes, clothing, drying racks, drums and spirit whistles. The cedar tree is revered and thought to be so powerful that a person can gain strength by standing with their back up against one.
Few cedar trees were felled before European settlers came to Canada. Instead, the coast Salish people harvested boards from fallen trees. Live trees were used for harvesting strips of bark to make into baskets, ropes and mats. They also harvested planks from the trees without killing them. Thirty years later they could harvest again from the same tree.
Camping trips under the trees knit families together. And nature programs bring together people from all over the world, enriching the lives of everyone. People around the world rely on printed books to preserve their cultures and religions.
Economic
The forest industry depends on a steady supply of lumber. Many people make their living felling and processing logs. Wood is used to build houses and other structures. We use wood for furniture, books, paper, pencils and many other things. All these industries support our economy and feed families. We use wood everyday— consider toilet paper. Where would we be without toilet paper?
Spiritual
A walk in the forest feeds the soul, calms the mind and balances the body. It’s called ‘Forest Bathing’. Some doctors write prescriptions for their patients to do forest bathing. Pine trees give off an atmospheric chemical called pinene, which is easily absorbed by the skin and lungs. Alpha- and beta-pinenes calm the brain, through the immune system, lowering blood pressure and creating a sense of well-being. A twenty-minute walk in a pine forest has been shown to boost the immune system for about thirty days.
Some highly sensitive people can hear and feel the trees, their life and their wisdom. There is a quality to the forest that scientists have yet to quantify, but if you tune in to the trees you may come to understand, on an experiential level, your connection to all things in the universe. A silent walk in a forest can be a profoundly spiritual experience.
Climate Change
In 1990, Dr. Dan Durall conducted a study for the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). They needed information to determine the best way to store carbon in order to mitigate catastrophic climate change. (They knew it was coming. It was known about in the 1800s.) Dr. Durall discovered that half the carbon in trees is stored below ground.
Keeping as many trees intact as possible will help us to slow the rate of warming on our planet by keeping carbon in the trees and in the ground. Old growth trees are especially important. They are the Mother Trees that feed and support the young trees around them. At night, deep rooted trees bring water to the surface, through a process of “hydraulic lift”, helping shallower rooted trees and plants to survive in times of drought. Forests cools the climate, by pumping water into the atmosphere to form clouds.
Conclusion: The Win–Win Scenario

We live on a small planet. Eight billion people, together with plants, animals, insects and a multitude of other tiny creatures. It’s possible to harvest what we need from the forests without destroying them. Granted, there are more people now depending on the forests, but selective logging can preserve forests intact while still meeting our needs, particularly if we use other materials, such as rammed earth and cob for building.

Trees are our first line of defence against drought. Their massive roots systems, connected by water absorbing fungi, hold soil in place creating a sink for carbon and water storage. The more we humans interfere with what we don’t fully understand, nature, the more we put ourselves and the Earth’s ecosystems at risk. Friends of the Gulf Islands Society believe in preserving and protecting these complex forest ecosystems. We need to step back, respect and appreciate the natural world, and take only what we need.

Our species and many others might survive and thrive on a new earth where the air is clean, the water is clear and the climate is perfect. Trees are an important foundation of life on Earth. Do you want to breathe?
Sources

Suzanne Simard, Finding The Mother Tree
Peter Wohlleben, The Secret Wisdom of Nature, The Hidden Life of Trees, The Heartbeat of Trees, Forest Walking, The Secret Network of Nature
Jim Pojar and Andy Mackinnon, Plants of Coastal British Columbia
Diana Beresford-Kroeger, To Speak for the Trees

This webinar was initiated by the North Coast Communities for Watershed Protection group and supported by the Lower Nehalem Community Trust and the Peachland Watershed Protection Alliance.

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