The changing relationship between man and tree

Christoph Eisele, Darmstadt

Wood is a wonderful material. Let us imagine the evolution of mankind in a world without trees: Wie Our ancestors - how could they have managed without wood? How would they have cooked? How could they have gotten warm without a fire with wood? How could they have hunted without a wooden spear?

In most regions on our earth a home without wood was not imaginable. Stone became only more common when tools made of iron were available.Boats and ships were made of wood - without wood Amercia would not have been discovered. Forks, spoons in the kitchen as well as bowls and plates, bast for connections, oak bark for the tannery, tar to seal, boots, wheels for barrow and cart, charcoal for the forge, and even only most of the instruments to make music - all these things were delivered by woodland.

Books and newspapers even today depend almost entirely on wood - it will take long until electronic media will replace paper. Bast Think also of animals feeding on tree leaves, and think of the fruits growing on trees: coconuts, apples, citrus fruits, mangoes, walnuts, olives. And do not forget woodland as the only possible environment for millions of different kinds of animals, many of which were needed by man. The direct exploitation of woodland and wood remained of utmost importance until about the end of the 18th century. Per person about 8 m³ of wood were burnt per year worldwide! To produce 1 tons of iron 50 m³ of wood were needed (in form of charcoal). It is estimated that in 1850 about 75% of all wood harvested was burnt. This figure went down to abtout 50% by the year 1900.

More and more wood is replaced by coal, oil, gas and also by electricity. In construction more and more steel and concrete are used instead of wood.

But still: Today it is estimated that 1.7 kg of wood  for every inhabitant on our globe is used every day. Thus a man of 65 has used about 40 tons of wood during his life!

However, slowly we begin to understand that woodland has other and more inportant values which are irreplaceable for the survival of mankind:

Woodland provides as a gift to us water: Leaves and needles of the trees first clean the rain and absorb dust particles. By the roots rain water is retained and slowly released through sources and small rivers. Woodland is consuming carbon dioxide and producing oxygen: To produce 1000 kg of wood, 1851 kg of carbon dioxide are

used and at the same time 1392 kg of oxygen are released.

Woodland prevents the building up of storms and protects the open countryside against them. Thus woodland prevents erosion. These benefits of woodland - the renewal of air, of water, the protection against erosion today have become much more important than wood production. Until the 19th century woodland produced about as much wood as was harvested. Or course, there had been exeptions, especially around the Mediterranean Sea. But now woodland disappears all over our globe with accelerated rapidity: In Africa the deserts expand every day because the overpopulation creates pressure on fire wood for; woodland in the Amazonas as well as in Indonesia is cut down to gain land for agriculture; In Russia, Canada and America woodland is turned into paper; in rain forests all over the globe most valuable trees are cut because industrial countries pay high prices for wood for furniture and building.
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There is a tremendous global problem. We can and must do something ourselves:

Woodland must now be restored and must be managed in a sustainable way: The law must be no to harvest more wood on a given area than can be replaced by nature with the help of man.

Let us tell the law of sustainability to everybody, and let's plant trees !

This is simple and does not cost much: A grown up tree may have a value of $5000.00, but we can plant one for less than 50 cents !

Buddha demanded that every man should plant every 5 years one tree and not forget to nurse the small trees in the meantime.