TREES

“Trees are poems that the earth writes upon the sky.”
Kahlil Gibran

Trees are indeed the most beautiful creation of nature and one of Earth’s greatest natural resources. Trees are vital for life on the Earth and provide many of life’s essentials. They are also amazingly efficient mechanisms, constantly working to make the Earth a better place to live. Trees contribute to the environment in multiple ways –  improve air quality, reduce pollution, prevent soil erosion and so on. Most notably, trees help slow down climate change and global warming by absorbing carbon dioxide, a ‘greenhouse’ gas known for its heat-trapping properties. In turn, they release oxygen that we breathe. A single mature tree can absorb 48 pounds of carbon dioxide per year from the atmosphere, and release oxygen sufficient for two human beings.

Trees are an amazing source of food for humans – fruits, nuts, seeds, edible leaves, syrups made from flowers and resins, and spices made from aromatic barks. Multi-purpose trees and shrubs, cultivated as home gardens within house compounds, can produce good supply of food for the households all year round with relatively low cost and labour inputs.

As the longest living species on earth, trees are in effect a link between the past, the present and the future.

There few varieties of trees in the farm, all in small numbers. But in the long term, plants such as Sandalwood, Teak and Rosewood could give some returns too!