🌳 Benefits of trees
Trees are beautiful. They truly are. But their magnificence isn’t only in their appearance — it’s in what they do for us every single day.
They give us oxygen and food. They clean our air, provide shade, and reduce heat in a warming world. Trees prevent soil erosion, help in times of drought, combat climate change, create healthy soil, and capture rainwater. They provide wildlife habitats, create economic opportunities, give us wood (can you even imagine life without it?), reduce noise, and offer canopies under which we can work, play, or relax.
While trees are vital ecologically, culturally, and economically, we often overlook just how much they live — and die — for us.
🌱 Trees: The World’s Largest Living Biomass
Trees make up the largest part of Earth’s biomass. They grow in almost every region and include nearly 60,000 species worldwide. These species form some of the planet’s most diverse habitats, supporting not just humans but countless other life forms — from plants and fungi to birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and insects. Benefits of trees are endless.
⚠️ The Growing Threat to Tree Species
Today, 30% of tree species are at risk of extinction. At least 142 species have already disappeared forever (State of the World’s Trees Report).
The main causes? Human activity. Forest clearance and habitat loss for timber and agriculture lead the list. Invasive pests and diseases are also taking a toll. Climate change is making the situation worse by accelerating tree loss.
🌍 Forests Under Pressure
Forests are home to 80% of amphibian species, 75% of bird species, 68% of mammal species, and 60% of all vascular plant species.
Yet between 1990 and 2020, we lost 420 million hectares of forest (State of the World’s Forests Report). Even though the rate of deforestation has slowed, it’s still devastating.
Here in Cape Town, home to FactoryForest Gardens, agriculture, urban expansion, and solar panel installations are causing trees to be removed faster than they can be replaced (GroundUp).
We are systematically destroying the very ecosystems that keep us alive.
🌬️ Forests: Nature’s Carbon Sinks
Despite the losses, forests absorbed more carbon than they released between 2011 and 2020. Reforestation and better forest management helped achieve this.
Forests now store 662 billion tonnes of carbon — more than half of the global carbon stock in soils and vegetation. Economically, more than half of the world’s GDP depends heavily on ecosystem services, especially those from forests. About 2.6 billion people still rely on wood and other natural fuels for cooking (State of the World’s Forests Report).
🌿 Hope Through Global and Local Initiatives
There is hope. Around the world, projects are working to restore forests and plant millions of trees.
One inspiring example is the Great Green Wall Initiative, aiming to create a belt of forest across the African Sahara. Such projects are heart-warming — but are they enough?
📉 Tree Maths: Why Action Is Urgent
The equation is simple: if we cut down more trees than we plant, we face severe consequences. Everyone has a role to play in protecting and restoring trees.
FactoryForest Gardens is deeply committed to this mission. We leave you with two thoughts:
Chinese Proverb: “The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago. The next best time is now.”
Wangari Maathai: “Until you dig a hole, plant a tree, water it and make it survive, you haven’t done a thing. You are just talking.”
Benefits of trees Blog by FactoryForest Gardens