Kitchen Garden Forum

I'm not surprised by this actually as those with the least are smaller or more highly populated so not the room for so many trees, except for Ethiopia who unfortunately don't have the climate or rainfall to have more than shrubs. I would be interested to see how much Brazil has changed over the years, although they have a head start with all the previously uninhabitable areas of rain forests they have certainly not done their unique trees any favours with the slash & burn.

Interesting statistics Alan.

I suppose our excuse in the uK is that we have a much smaller tree growing area than Canada, the US and Australia, although I guess much of the Australian landmass to too hot and arid for much tree growing. I.m surprised at the huge difference between Canada and the US although perhaps thats because more of the American landmass is more heavily industrialised?

I also wonder if it's because Canada is perhaps more environmentally sensitive than the US.

We do have close to twice the population of Canada which is the second most extensive nation in the world, so that is not so surprising. For me the figure for Ethiopia is the surprise.

Every time I go out I think there are too many people.

Well I wonder if all the Extinction Rebellion people who are blocking our city streets will be the first to sign up to a promise not to introduce any more people to this crowded planet. We have to start somewhere so maybe we should ask them to set an example!

I've just planted a packet of mixed hawthorn seeds - every little counts.

I'm adraid that my beautiful silver birch died of old age this year, so that's one less

I am hoping to plant a new one next to it, once we have removed what we can. It was a monster, and cretaed a beautiful dappled shade on hot days. I'm very sad, because all the birds are still using it, and when it goes, where will they sing from?

We helped to establish the local nature reserve more than 30 years ago and where there was a blank, bare area ("industrial wasteland" in Yorkshire Dales National Park terms), there are now probably more than 50 trees, many of them planted with my own fair hand - so I think I have done my bit locally. We have a photo of two primary school children planting a larch sapling with a trowel. This is now a huge tree, much favoured by the great spotted woodpecker. Next to it stands a tall wild crab apple tree (currently full of fruit) which I grew from a pip picked up in a local hedge. As Diane says, every little helps.