Trees save us from extinction and it is important for us to keep growing them for the survival of our ecosystem.  The depletion rate of forests including rare trees is alarming.  Based on the statistics from various parts of the world, approximately 1-2 million tonnes of paper is generated every single day.  A significant portion of this (typically greater than 85%) are generated by cutting fresh trees. There are recycled and virgin papers.  The virgin paper is the cause for most of the environmental damage not just in terms of the trees being lost but in terms of the chemicals and toxins used in the paper generation process.  Waste paper when disposed carelessly amount to municipal solid waste and as this gets mixed up with other types of waste, it is difficult to separate them for regeneration. Paper industry is the third largest consumer of energy and water.  Statistics show that approximately 3.5-7 billion trees are cut every year.

With the growth rate of fresh trees much slower, this would take at least three decades to see some parts of the world replaced with green.  It is really a shame to note that leading nations as well as industries are not able to act on this simple fact that trees are required for our living.  There are no regulatory requirements and even if these are on paper, these rules are only meant to be broken.  Bribery and smuggling contribute to the felling of trees a lot, especially in remote areas.  In New Zealand, for example, Pennantia baylisiana, a rare species is in the verge of extinction that is attributed to habitat loss.  Many more such species are in the waitlist of wood industries with no hope for survival.  To say the least, another decade will see that many of the species disappear totally from the surface of the Earth. 

In India, the rare Ebony wood and red sandalwood are special species that are cut indiscriminately and sold across borders.  This is a thriving business but neither the forest offices nor any news agencies report this harm to our environment.  All we get to find out is the post these events, in an obscure corner of the newspaper, this news is spilt just as an update.  What is the use of publishing such news?  Who is to benefit by reading these?  There is no motivation for the younger generation to carry out activities that are in the best interests of our ecosystem.  The reason is upbringing followed by inherently weak societies that are more concerned in the art of making money.   The situation is similar in places such as Kenya, Tanzania and the famous Amazon basin which is well known for rare trees and lush forests.

Technology could really help here and do away with the printing of text books.  With the paper-free approach using electronic tablets, this would prove to be a good replacement and use of technology to complement environmental efforts across the globe.  In offices or workplaces, email communication serves as the main medium for information exchange. However, some of these best practices should be made available for general public where there is total lack of awareness.  However, the industries have a big role to play in terms of adhering to environmental norms that would mean less greenhouse emissions or less toxic wastes thereby reducing the negative impact on our environment.

Yet the public awareness on the importance of trees in everyday life needs to grow exponentially.  There is so much of void in the way the relationship between humans and their environment is understood.  It is important to educate young children and all citizens on how our environment is protecting us.  Besides, lessons on environment should start from early years in school rather than an afterthought which is not really helping the situation improve.  There is only reactive mentality rather than pro-active.  However, in pockets there have been some success stories of new trees being planted.  This should be seen as a collective responsibility and every citizen has a role to play in it.  If every individual plants a tree a month and nurture them, that is 10 billion new trees every month and we would cover our planet in green.  This is not time to think anymore but it is time to act. 

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