Afforestation is very important in our environment, in this article we are looking at the advantages of afforestation.
The regular usage of natural resources leads to the contamination of water and air, and even to the clearing of forests for construction by humans, which causes climate change and global warming. This has made the state of the earth very critical, and we can’t just watch our planet being destroyed, there is a need for us to work toward saving the earth. Afforestation is a major step to saving the earth.
Let’s briefly see what afforestation is.
Afforestation is the process of planting trees, most often in a field that previously had no trees, which eventually grows into a forest. in a very simple term you can say is creating of new forest. Meanwhile, reforestation and afforestation are two different terms. To be clear, reforestation is the planting of a specific tree that is gradually diminishing numerically in an indigenous forest.
Is just about increasing the number of trees in an indigenous forest you can simply say is the restoration of the past forests while afforestation is about developing a new forest by planting trees.
Afforestation is very important as it solves the following problems such as soil erosion, the greenhouse effect, global warming, an imbalance in the ecology, global warming, and so on which are impacting the earth negatively.
Afforestation also helps sanitize the environment which starts when the seeds are sowed and continues until the trees are completely grown.
Table of Contents
Advantages of Afforestation
We will discuss the advantages of afforestation below.
- Reduction of Land desertification
- Resolves climate change problems
- Prevent soil-erosion
- Resolve the problem of wildlife habitats
- Provision of Raw Materials to the Cottage Industry
- Conservation Rainwater
- Resolve the problem of timber & charcoal by increasing the supply
- Provision for Employment
- Boost the production of Food and Provender
- Improvement of Air Quality
1. Reduction of Land Desertification
one of the advantages of afforestation is the reduction of desertification, being that the desert is seen as one of the types of land degradation and is where wildlife, vegetation, and all water bodies either drop or start reducing due to drought, deforestation, and so on.
Afforestation helps in reducing desertification by planting more trees helps reverses desertification by averting soil erosion and supplying nutrients for the growth of other plants and crops.
2. Resolves Climate Change Problems
This also is one of the advantages of afforestation. It has been discovered that the greenhouse effect has a negative impact on climate change.
Afforestation helps in handling this problem of the greenhouse effect via the photosynthesis carried out by the trees. When more trees are planted, it reduces the influence of harmful gases such as carbon dioxide on the environment.
3. Prevent Soil-Erosion
one of the advantages of afforestation is to prevent soil erosion. The major cause of soil erosion is the cutting down of trees. Afforestation boosts the number of trees and the most organic way to prevent soil erosion and maintain healthy soil is to plant many trees.
Being that trees have different properties that will help prevent soil erosion such as their large canopies, transpiration process, and expansive root system
The large canopies of trees aid in preventing soil erosion by decreasing the measure of the impact the rain has on the ground.
While water drains down the leaves and branches and submerses into the soil instead of hitting the ground vigorously, which reduces the quantity of soil that is washed away by the rain.
The large canopies also help interrupt the force of the wind and decrease the amount of soil that is being carried away with it.
The movement of water throughout plants from the roots through them and out the leaves is known as Transpiration. It helps from making the soil wet and prevents runoff by enabling the roots to bind the soil into place
Transpiration is the process in which water moves throughout plants, sending water up the roots, through the stems, and out the leaves.
It keeps the soil from getting too wet and heavy, preventing runoff by helping the roots to bind the soil into place.
The large root system of a tree functions as a bind toward any loose soil encompassing the tree. The roots hold the soil in place while supporting the tree and enhancing the drainage of the soil, so that water drains into the ground instead of flowing at the surface.
This also prevents soil compaction, which happens when the soil under the surface compacts and hardens, decreasing water permeation and increasing runoff. Afforestation increases the number of trees and hence prevents soil erosion
4. Resolve the Problem of Wildlife Habitats
This is one of the advantages of afforestation. Trees are said to be the major source of many things, as they provide food, shelter, protection, etc. to wild animals.
Afforestation provides all this by planting more trees t help the wild animal and it also helps improves the biosphere to function accurately.
5. Provision of Raw Materials to the Cottage Industry
One of the advantages of afforestation is the provision of raw materials to the cottage industry. A large amount of raw material is needed for the cottage industry.
Afforestation helps to make this raw material available in large quantities via the planting of many trees to boost the spread to cottage industries like house building, pencil making, sports products, baskets, paper industry, furniture, match industry, etc.
6. Conservation of Rainwater
The trees play a vital role in the conserving of rainwater. Water conservation, regardless of the need, is a critical human need.
The process of afforestation aids our environment in several ways such as the conservation of rainwater, stopping rainfall, releasing water moderately in the form of springs, and so on.
7. Resolve the problem of timber & charcoal by increasing the supply
This is one of the advantages of afforestation. There is also the commercial advantage of afforestation where companies carry out afforestation in order to produce timber & charcoal from trees.
besides this, it also makes provision for job opportunities and increases the wood products which boosts the local economy.
8. Provision for Employment
Afforestation is a very large process that needs many working hands to be involved, hence many workers are needed to carry out several tasks which include digging the soil, sowing seeds, weeding, plants watering, etc.
It provides provision for employment to the less privileged people and is a source of income for them.
9. Boost the production of Food and Provender
Afforestation also helps increase food production. Along with it developing a new forest solves the problem of grazing by providing the provender facility to the cattle.
10. Improvement of Quality of Air
one of the advantages of afforestation is the improvement of the quality of air
An environment that is surrounded by trees is not likely to suffer from air-related issues. The reason is that trees play an essential role in purifying the air. Trees decontaminate carbon dioxide and offer oxygen via photosynthesis.
For years now, the production of carbon dioxide has become very high via different activities such as industrial activities, burning fossil fuel, and driving, which have increased the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
Construction has led to the reduction of forests. The toxins in the body are a result of imbalance. Some activities by humans, such as construction and driving, produce dust particles in the air, which affect the quality of the air.
Trees don’t only decontaminate carbon dioxide; they also sanitize greenhouse emissions. In the air, they also trap soil particles, which improves the quality of the air.
Conclusion
Afforestation is a feasible solution to implement to save our planet. As it is eco-friendly, it doesn’t harm nature and it provides raw materials for human consumption without destroying the environment.
For decades now it has been proven that afforestation is a positive practice, and certainly, it is one of the practices that will save the earth and its surrounding.
Our planet is definitely benefiting from the provision of this process, and the advantages of afforestation have been discussed above. It is now left to you to implement and save our planet.
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Precious Okafor is a digital marketer and online entrepreneur that got into the online space in 2017 and since then have developed skills in content creation, copywriting and online marketing. He is also a Green activist and hence his role in publishing articles for EnvironmentGo