There are many ecological reasons to preserve trees. They provide shelter to animals, regulate soil fertility , and are vital to combatting the climate crisis because they absorb greenhouse gasses.
People all over the globe have deep cultural connections to trees, forests, and other natural resources.
Irish fairy trees
It’s not uncommon to find lone hawthorns dotted across fields in Ireland. Some farmers won’t fell these wild trees because of a superstition that dates back to prehistoric times, when pagans worshiped nature. The sacred hawthorn was believed by house fairies to bring bad luck to those who wronged.
But that doesn’t stop many others from enjoying its white blooms in May and June. Traditionally, people bring a hawthorn branch back to their gardens around this time of year to decorate with egg shells and blossoms.
Amazon’s’mother of Trees’
Trees like this Samauma in Amazon can have cultural importance to communities around the world
The Samauma is a tree found in the Amazon. Sometimes called the Kapok, is known as the “mother of all trees” among Indigenous groups.
This tree, which stands at 60 meters (197ft), towers over the rest and watches the rainforest as if it were a mother watching. Others believe that the Samauma connects our universe to a divine one.
The tree is primarily used for its wood, its cotton-like fibers which wrap around its seeds, and the medicinal properties its sap has. It is also used as a communication device. If you hit the trunk or roots, the noise will echo throughout the forest.
Like other Amazon species, the Samauma is at risk from illegal loggers and forest fires.
Ghaf trees are a symbol of peace
Ghaf trees can remain green even in harsh desert environments
The drought-tolerant Ghaf tree can be found in several arid regions, including the Arabian Peninsula, Western Asia and the Indian subcontinent.
But the United Arab Emirates (UAE) sees it as such a vital “symbol of stability and peace” that the country declared it the national tree.
Ghaf, which is resistant to even the harshest desert environments has been a part and parcel of local traditional life for generations. Its leaves can be eaten by people, but the branches are preferred for livestock. It is also used to treat ailments. The UAE protects the tree from being cut.
The tree of enlightenment
Popular pilgrimage site is Bodhi tree, Bodh Gaya, India.
The central role of Buddhism tradition is played by the Bodhi, or Bo tree. According to legend, Buddha attained enlightenment by meditating for 49 consecutive days under the Bodhi or Bo tree in Bodh Gaya (India).
Bodhi trees can be found all over the globe, but it is customary for them to be planted in Buddhist temples. The Bodhi tree in Bodh Gaya has become an important pilgrimage site. The original Bodhi tree under which Buddha sat is no longer alive, but devoted Buddhists can visit a tree thought to be its descendant.
Sacred Kenyan forests
Rests of traditional Mijkenda villages are still found in the sacred Kaya Forests
The sacred Mijkenda Kaya Forests extend 200 km (124 miles) from Kenya’s coast. These were the original sites where the Mijkenda built their villages (or kayas) in the 16th century. They abandoned them in the 1940s for more convenient locations.
Councils of elders preserve the remains of ancestral homes to preserve holy groves, holy graves, and other sites of spiritual importance.
The forests are not just home to the kayas. The forests also protect forest guardians against the worst effects of climate changes like floods and landslides. But the protectors say the forests are facing another danger from mines.
The guardians are concerned not only about the fate of the forests, but also that mine waste could pollute local water sources.
Edited By: Jennifer Collins
