Year of the Tree 2023

They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any green plant or any tree Revelation 9:4 There are many causes of deforestation, some are immediate, like a massive construction, some are slow, as the forest degrades, due to temperature rise and an increase in fires. Forest fires: Each year, fires burn millions of hectares of forest worldwide. Fires are a part of nature but degraded forests are particularly vulnerable. These include heavily logged rainforests, forests on peat soils, or where forest fires have been suppressed for years allowing unnatural accumulation of vegetation that makes the fire burn more intensely. The resulting loss has wide-reaching consequences on biodiversity, climate, and the economy. Fires may start accidentally or be started in order to clear the land for farming. Illegal and unsustainable logging: Illegal logging occurs in all types of forests across all continents – from Brazil to Indonesia – destroying nature and wildlife, taking away community livelihoods and distorting trade. Illegally harvested wood finds its way into major consumption markets, such as the U.S., and European Union, which further fuels the cycle. Fuelwood harvesting: Over-harvesting for domestic use or for commercial trade in charcoal significantly damages forests. Forests are now being cut down to make wood pellets. Mining: The impact of mining on tropical forests is growing due to rising demand and high mineral prices. Mining projects are often accompanied by major infrastructure construction, such as roads, railway lines and power stations, putting further pressure on forests and freshwater ecosystems. Climate change: Forest loss is both a cause and an effect of our changing climate. Climate change can damage forests, for instance by drying out tropical rainforests and increasing fire damage in boreal forests. Inside forests, climate change is already harming biodiversity, a threat that is likely to increase. Increasing temperatures also bring new pests such as invasive borer beetles Reference: https://wwf.panda.org/discover/our_focus/forests_practice/deforestation_causes2/

The earth mourns and withers; the world wastes away and withers; the lofty people of the earth waste away Isaiah 24: 4 COVID-19 made us realise that our health is deeply connected to the health of nature. Deforestation and forest degradation are major drivers of zoonotic diseases (that jump from animals to humans). When healthy, forests are a buffer against diseases like Covid-19. But when forests are under attack, their safeguards are weakened, leading to a spillover of diseases. The spread and emergence of these new diseases is yet another tragic consequence and indicator of the accelerating pressure we’re putting on natural systems, and the devastating loss of nature driven by our current unsustainable development models. Forests are a lifeblood of our economies and our health – from the air we breathe to the wood we use. Covering nearly one-third of the Earth’s land area, forests are home to more than half of the world’s land-based species and are the source of 75% of the world’s freshwater. More than a billion people live in and around forests, and they are the physical and spiritual home to many indigenous peoples and local communities. Forests are key carbon sinks – tropical forests alone store seven times more carbon than humanity emits every year and draw down up to 1.8 gigatonnes of carbon annually. Yet forests today are in crisis, devastated by fires, converted and degraded for agriculture, for fuel and for timber. The mismanagement of the world’s forests is ramping up carbon emissions, ravaging biodiversity, destroying vital ecosystems, and affecting the livelihoods and wellbeing of local communities as well as societies globally. And the situation is getting worse. The world’s current unsustainable food systems mean that instead of repurposing degraded land for sustainable agricultural use, forests, savannahs and grasslands continue to be destroyed. It’s time to value what nature provides to us, and a key focus for that action has to be our forests. Reference: https://wwfint.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/deforestation_fronts___drivers_and_responses_in_a_changing_world___summary_english.pdf

“The vine is dried up and the fig tree is withered; the pomegranate, the palm and the apple tree – all the trees of the field – are dried up. Surely the people’s joy is withered away.” Joel 1:12 Today you will be marked with the sign of the cross, with ashes which are made from the burned palm leaves from last year’s Palm Sunday.  In our prayer of confession today we confess our abuse of living trees, deforestation and destruction of the eco-systems;  the web of life that sustains us.  Creator God, you planted a world of beauty and variety, filled with trees for food and shade. We have turned forests into deserts, and many living trees into disposable consumer products. We have not protected the web of life on which we depend and which you called us to care for. We confess our selfishness in misusing your handiwork to resource our greed.  Lord have mercy.