When the forests burn so do we: A close- up view of a climate crisis and how tree planting is a form of eco- activism.
Caprice near Mackenzie, British Columbia 2019. In this photo, she is taking on slash in a cut block. By participating in silviculture initiatives, she is improving air quality, replacing the trees that have been cut down and or burned. Photograph taken by Connor Parry. Follow Connor on Instagram: @coast.creations
After one season tree planting in Northern Ontario, Caprice decided it was time to set her sights higher. Her second summer she headed out west to British Columbia. She was told that more money was to be made planting in western Canada. She applied to a company and having had previous experience got the job. As the spring plant was coming to a close, forest fires were raging all over the province. The company she was working for was evacuated from the back country outside of Williams Lake in 2017. Forest fires have been occurring annually in BC ever since reaching its peak that summer. Here are the reasons why forest fires are increasing and how readers can be encouraged to plant trees.
Climate change is to blame.
Climate change has become the catalyst for issues regarding forest annihilation. Drought all over the world has provided the perfect environments for forest and bush fires. The only way we can combat this is to replenish the forests that have suffered by planting trees.
The fires have caused the annihilation of different types of flora. A forest’s flora begins with the trees both deciduous and conifer. Fires have also destroyed a large portion of the fungus population. Fungus help to connect the trees together in a forest. Both of these types of flora cannot function without each other in an ecosystem.
Fires have increased.
Due to the increase in forest fires over the years in the Pacific northwest, interior forests outside of Williams Lake and 100 Mile House have burned. The 2017 fires in British Columbia saw “53 million cubic metres of timber burned”. The burned land from these fires are providing more opportunities for tree planting alongside higher prices for piece work. The foresting industry needs more planters as a result, and unfortunately the number of silviculturists are dropping. Jon Hernadanez a writer for CBC addressed the shortage of planters in a piece called B.C. forests face worker shortage as demand for reforestation soars. The 2020 planting season has a quota of “300 million according to a recent report from the Western Forestry Contractors' Association (WFCA)” (2018). This shortage should be incentive for everyone regardless of your background, age, or experience to plant trees. If the demand is higher, then opportunity to make money and improve Canadian forests is available to the average person.
We are the witnesses and the ones to fix it.
A former tree planter turned photographer Rita Leistner has been working on a collection of works called The Tree Planters over the past four years. The Tree Planters is a series of photographs featuring planters in the field. She is currently working on a documentary called Forest for the Trees and a book. After nine planting seasons, Rita decided to retire to pursue photography in conflict areas. She has stated in the past that planting helped prepare her to take on photographing conflict zones. Rita sees tree-planting as a form of eco-activism and shares her experience as a planter: “Planters are a part of the foresting industry, which is crucial. The environmental changes have to happen inside the industry, says Rita. “Tree planters are the witnesses to the forest. No one else sees this type of land. If you took away tree planters and mechanized it no one would see it. I want to show the value in what we do. Maybe you go in to make money, but you come out of it changed. Planters are the witness to the forest.”
Climate change has allowed for an increase in droughts all over the world. Currently, Australia’s New South Wales and Queensland have experienced unprecedented bush fires. Not to mention, Brazil’s Amazon forest has been inflamed since October. Canadian forests have been impacted and continue to be impacted by droughts. Climate change dictates to the trees that if you cannot adapt to the ever increasing temperature that comes from drought you will perish.
Trees have to be planted strategically in order to survive the changing environment. Researchers looking into the success of this plan recognize that “diversifying the forest by planting tree species more likely suited to a future climate is a potential adaptation strategy to increase resilience.” Hof alongside his colleagues concluded that in order for forests to thrive and become viable carbon stores, there is an amount of precipitation needed to “sequester carbon”. Rain is needed in order for forests to be viable carbon stores. As droughts become more common, fires become more frequent. Forests are the carbon stores most impacted by wildfires. These fires increase carbon dioxide in the air and when forests are destroyed, planting trees is essential.
Humans must combat climate change at the ground level. We need to advocate tree planting as a way to restore our forests. We can rebuild our Canadian boreal forests through tree-planting initiatives. The general public should be encouraged to tree plant through silviculture initiatives, philanthropy, or volunteering in areas that have seen the most destruction. We are responsible for the forest fires, but we can fix the devastation caused. The trees were here first and provide and improve the air we breathe. If we ourselves may never bare witness to the shade our planted trees provide, we should seek comfort that one day others might.