Forests are beautiful, useful, and necessary for life. While you might not realize it, they cover up to one-third of the land on Earth’s surface. Understanding their benefits, however, can cause humans to engage in preservation and good forest management.

Why Are Forests Important?

1. Create Oxygen

Trees emit oxygen into the atmosphere as part of their process of photosynthesis. They absorb the carbon dioxide humans breathe out or create through carbon emissions and transform it into oxygen. One mature, leafy tree can even produce enough oxygen for an entire day for two to four people. 

2. Provide Homes

Trees are the home to an incredible number of species, from parrots and monkeys to reptiles and insects. Up to 80% of the world’s biodiversity lives among trees. Even dead trees provide nourishment and homes to insects and other plants, becoming “nurse logs” for new seedlings. Even people live in forested areas. Three hundred million humans call forests home, with 60 million being indigenous people who rely on intact forest ecosystems.

3. Offer Beauty & Recreation

The national forests of the U.S. offer millions of people places of rest, relaxation, and adventure. Responsible forest management of the rainforests, in countries such as Brazil, Costa Rica, and Ecuador, protect valuable ecosystems and provide tourism opportunities and income. The beauty of forests makes them valuable for no other reason than that they exist.

4. Refill Aquifers

Trees can be like sponges, soaking up rainfall with their roots. They do not use all the water that comes to them, however, and what isn’t taken up by their roots trickles into the aquifers that provide water for humans. Forests help prevent erosion by holding valuable topsoil in place. In some areas, trees even make rain. In the Amazon, for example, the atmosphere that the forest creates provides rain for itself and places as far away as the Great Plains.

5. Create Jobs

Forest management, timber extraction, and conservation provide at least 54-million jobs worldwide. Many economies depend on timber-related jobs as part of their overall gross domestic product. 

Forests are essential for life, but they also provide homes, jobs, and places to reconnect with nature. Responsible forest management is the mission of Neeley Forestry Services in Camden, AR. Since 1972, they’ve provided hunting leases, appraisals, and timber and wildlife management to the Ouachita County area. Call (870) 836-5981 today to speak with a friendly representative, or visit their website to learn more about their services.