T – Trees

Welcome to Fiction Can Be Fun, a blog which has a mix of posts with thoughts on writing, tips and tricks, and the occasional stories. Here at FCBF, we’re long time supporters of the A-to-Z Challenge. It’s a couple of years since I’ve done the challenge myself, for a couple of reasons, but this year I thought I would have ago at a fictitious travelogue. Buckle up as we explore the 50:50 Earth…

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Environmentalists love trees – and with good reason. Whilst there has been some argument over the overall effectiveness of trees as a means for removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and adding oxygen, the bigger picture is to consider the complex ecosystems that trees create a home for, not to mention the spiritual and physical benefits from walking amongst them.

One of the great surprises was how readily some species travelled. For example, it didn’t take long for sequoias to establish themselves further afield than California. These trees still haven’t reached their full heights, and that may take another century or more. But today there are more giant redwoods outside their home territory than in them. Britain has been particularly welcoming to these trees, and in turn has sent the London Plane on to conquer new ranges, a popular choice where there is an air pollution problem to address.

Whilst there is some way to go until the lost rainforests are replanted to cover their full ranges of old, there is already debate over the areas that should be replanted and the areas where new biomes have become established and should be protected in their own right. It seems a strange thing to bring to the International courts, but there are those who fight the Treeherders to stop them planting trees – at least in some parts of the world. One of the big pushes has also been to prevent invasive species from being planted even in the urban centres. There is a lesson that people still need to learn in terms of the plant and animal life that escapes control and ends up where it shouldn’t be…

© David Jesson, 2024