New light on trees
Re: "A new lens", (Life, Nov 10) & "Greater Bangkok faces higher risk of floods", (BP, Nov 10).
We tend to take trees and forests for granted. We ought not. Their value extends far beyond timber or aesthetics. Trees are living infrastructure; they provide critical benefits to farmers in rural areas and residents in urban ones.
For farmers, trees are silent partners. When heavy rains fall, (more frequently now due to climate change) raindrops strike leaves before reaching the soil.
This allows water to soak into the ground rather than rushing away. Tree roots guide water deep into the soil, where it is stored and later released slowly into springs, streams and fields. Along the way, water absorbs nutrients that nourish crops and vegetation downslope.
Equally important, trees can reduce erosion. By slowing runoff, they protect precious topsoil from being washed into rivers. In a country where agriculture employs some 40% of the population, this natural service is invaluable.
The benefits of trees are not confined to the countryside. In cities, they are guardians against flooding and heat. By moderating runoff from upstream, trees help to limit the severity of floods downstream. Within urban landscapes, they also provide shade and cooling, an increasingly vital function as temperatures rise and concrete dominates.
As an expert once remarked: when we step into the cool shade of a tree today, we should thank the person who planted it 20 years ago. This simple observation captures the essence of trees as long-term investments in public well-being.
Thailand cannot afford to leave tree planting and forest protection to chance. Urban authorities, particularly in Bangkok, but elsewhere as well, should expand tree-planting programmes along streets, canals and public spaces, treating shade as essential infrastructure rather than decoration.
Rural policies must also incentivise farmers to integrate trees into their fields, through agroforestry schemes and subsidies that reward soil conservation.
Equally important, law enforcement targeting illegal logging must be strengthened, while community forestry programmes should be expanded to give local people a stake in protecting their environment. Schools and universities can play a role too, by embedding tree-planting into civic education.
The time for the polite appreciation of trees has passed. Our city planners must embed tree cover into flood-prevention and climate-resilience strategies. Provincial governments should set targets for reforestation and urban greening, backed by budgets and enforcement. Citizens, too, must be part of the effort to build "sponge cities"; we must plant trees in our neighbourhoods, protect those already standing, and hold leaders accountable for neglecting them.
The worth of a tree cannot be measured in baht alone. It is measured in fertile soil, reduced floods, cooler streets, and healthier communities.
M
