Forest coverage, as we know it today, has significantly changed compared to 100 years ago.
Buildings, roads, and farms have sprouted where there were forests. Trees played an important
role in shaping me when I was growing up. I grew up at my grandparent’s place in Kaplong. We
would fetch firewood every evening after school, which would be used to prepare supper and
breakfast the next morning. My cousins and I collected firewood from trees planted around their
compound. I wasn’t a fan of this task. My grandparents always planted tree seedlings around the
farm to replace the fallen trees.
My parents are also tree planting enthusiasts. They always plant trees during the rainy seasons.
The mature trees helps them get timber wood for construction and fencing the farm. My poultry
house was built using the trees they planted when I was seven years old. I’ve come to appreciate
the role of trees in the ecosystem. A world without forests is unthinkable. Forests provide a wide
range of benefits at the local, national and global levels. Some of these benefits depend on the
forest being left untouched or subject to minimal interference. Others can only be realized by
harvesting the forest for wood and other products.
Thanks to continuous research being done towards forest conservation and restoration, I now
understand, the significant role of trees. Trees produce oxygen, which is the main respiratory gas
for all animals. Moreover, trees help reduce air pollution by absorbing carbon dioxide from the
air. Furthermore, tree roots help prevent soil erosion. Trees also play an important part in the
water cycle and control the moisture levels of our ecosystem. And finally, trees are the natural
home and habitat for millions of species of animals, birds, and insects.
In this light, Panda Miti Community Based Organization is founded on the spirit of conserving
our trees, by teaching the community the significance of planting trees, advancing research in
forest restoration, management and conservation and encouraging the youth and women in
partaking in this incredible journey of ensuring that the future generation will have clean air,
predictable weather patterns and a beautiful green world to live in. Don’t we owe the future
generation that?