― John Vaillant, The Golden Spruce: A True Story of Myth, Madness, and Greed
Trees: magnificently diverse, delicate in their beginnings, their survival amongst the competition of the forest floor is almost a miracle. As species jockey for precious sunshine, there are winners, and there are losers in the game.
Canada is home to some of the most incredible forests and biodiversity in the world: trees of such staggering proportions that the Vikings knew them as saplings, and the Indigenous peoples of Canada knew them as seeds. There is something majestic about old growth forests, as if one can sense the history that they have experienced; the centuries of people who have walked among these giants of bark, timber and leaves.
Perhaps a deeper look at the human-tree relationship is one of dependence. Trees allow for the care, protection and warmth of animals and humans. The presence of trees has often equaled power: the power to have heat and cook food, to prevent soil erosion, improve water quality, provide habitat for human and animal, and support biodiversity.
“Forests and trees stop floodwaters from reaching homes, provide shade and cooler air in the summer months, and act as snow fences in the winter to protect fields and roads. Forests provide clean drinking water to just under 50% of Canadians and support clean air for all. Forests also provide jobs for hundreds of thousands of Canadians,” according to a Government of Canada report.
Trees often come up in all the conversation of global warming and climate change. But what do they really mean for the continuation of mankind? More specifically, what do they mean for Canada?
Planting trees makes the most of nature’s ability to fight climate change because it absorbs and stores greenhouse gasses, regulates water levels, protects shorelines from storm surges and erosion and also cools temperatures in cities, according to the report.
“For example, after Hurricane Juan in 2003, planting of strategically placed evergreen conifers and leafy deciduous trees has restored and improved Point Pleasant Park in Halifax, Nova Scotia and has increased community resilience in the face of extreme weather events,” according to the report.
For generations, trees were harvested without any replanting, as there was very little understanding of responsible stewardship. Now, the world looks to trees again as the great protectors, the means for survival and shelter from storms and the opportunity to prosper in a changing environment, and sometimes frightening world.