what trees mean to us

1. get involved in your government- we can make the changes we want

2. support Indigenous and traditional forest communities

3. purchase sustainable items if possible

1. use less paper

2. avoid products that use palm oil

3. raise awareness about deforestation

4. say "no" to corrupt government systems

the tree of life is a symbol which appears in different variations across human culture.

in the Indigenous origin story "Skywoman Falling", Skywoman falls from Skyworld into a watery version of this dimension (pre-Earth), and is helped by several kind animals after her descent.

geese use their wings to break Skywoman's fall, and a turtle offers his back to her. the animals work together to gather mud for Skywoman, and eventually Skywoman forms the Earth by dancing gratefully on the mud the animals had placed onto the turtle's shell. Turtle Island (Earth) is created.

but Skywoman doesn't stop there, and plants a variety of seedlings, which she had taken from the tree of life on her fall down from Skyworld. the world is then able to grow into what we know today.

the tree of life is a symbol that wonderfully emphasizes the importance of trees' functions. trees are giving, nourishing entities, which literally give life. we can still honor these gifts, and show our gratitude, through consideration for our planet's well being.

source:

trees have played an integral role in religion and lore throughout human history.

in Norse mythology, the universe is upheld by an immense ash tree, a world tree, called Yggdrasill. One of its roots reaches into Asgard, the home of gods. Another of its roots reaches into the underworld: Niflheim. The land of giants, Jötunheim, is also connected to Yggdrasil via the root system.

three important wells are also located at Yggdrasill. Urdarbrunnr is used by the Norns to nourish Yggdrasill. Mímisbrunnr holds water which lends great wisdom. The third well, Hvergelmir, houses a terrible monster that threatens the existence of Yggdrasill.

according to Norse mythology, Yggdrasill would also bring forth new life following Ragnarök, doomsday.

a tree supporting the universe may seem extraordinary, but this symbol reflects reality.

across human cultures, the wishing tree can be found.

a wishing tree is a tree imbued with spiritual and cultural meaning.

in Japan, as part of the festival Tanabata, wishes are inscribed on small pieces of paper, and tied to the branches of bamboo, in hopes they will reach heaven.

5, 662 miles away from Japan, the Scots have an ancient history of adorning trees with a "cloot", or rag, still damp from holy well water, to heal illness.

in other parts of the United Kingdom, coins are struck into chosen trees instead, for healing and luck.

trees have been linked with divinity throughout world history. while their spiritual functions are debatable in the eyes of modern Western science, a renewed reverence would heal us all.

Sources:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-60125288

defined (the clearing or thinning of forests by humans)

currently (mostly in the tropics)

why? (crops, logging, for farm animals, to plant valuable trees)

the stats: the world is being deforested at a rate of 1.3 million square miles per decade

the big picture: most of Earth's croplands, which cover 49 million square meters, used to be forests

deforestation nation

we burn trees, release more C02

and maybe it's a tired theme,

biodiversity,

but the animals won't have a place to live

& neither will we.

see the flames from your house

it's wild fire season

all the time

look up

holding carbon dioxide, those great lungs

sustaining, sheltering, shading

helping, healing

ancient systems regulating water, dirt

working for us all

but we are depleting our resources

we can sustainably interact with nature.