Amazing benefits of our green friends
Plant a sapling today – for yourself
Ali Amiri
Staff writer
One day Khosrow I, traditionally known by his epithet of Anushirvan, goes outside his palace to sightsee. On his way, he sees a very old farmer planting a fig tree.
To the Sassanid king of kings, the decrepit farmer doesn’t seem like somebody who is going to live much longer. So, hastily, he attributes the planting of the tree to greed, and tells the farmer that instead of planting trees which will take years to bear fruit, he had better think about the afterlife.
“You cannot eat the fruit of the tree you plant today,” says the king.
“Others planted, and we ate. Now we plant so others can eat,” answers the wise old man, and to make his point even further, he adds, “If you look closely, we’re all farmers for each other.”
The depth of the farmer’s knowledge and wit amazes and inspires Anushirvan, who promises him a great prize – tax exemption for his garden, to be exact – if he manages to bring the king a fig from the tree as soon as it bore fruit.
The farmer, the story goes, lives long enough to both eat the fruit of the tree he planted and receive the kingly gift.
This is a tale from
‘Marzbān-Nāma’, an early 13th-century prose work in Persian consisting of various didactic stories and fables used as illustrations of morality and right conduct.
Also, another version of the tale, this time in verse, appears in the poet laureate Mohammad-Taqi Bahar’s collection of poetry. In his version, the farmer is planting a walnut sapling which, by the king’s estimate, takes a decade to turn into a fructiferous tree.
The popular tale has been narrated ever since in various versions for children and adults alike, modernly to the effect of broadening the horizons of the masses, even perhaps instigating in them a will to plant saplings.
The tale surely deserves a mention, and maybe a reinterpretation in light of the environmental issue of climate change, on Iran’s National Tree Planting Day (March 6).
Putting aside the culinary benefits of some trees, planting any kind of tree is beneficial to the environment in more ways than meets the eyes.
The most important one, perhaps, is reducing the adverse effects of climate change. Trees help fight the excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, through absorbing CO2 and thus removing it from the air, while producing oxygen instead. Every year, an acre of trees can absorb the amount of carbon dioxide equal to driving your car 42,000km.
“Trees are our main survival tools,” writes Mattea Jacobs for Greenpop, clarifying, “Only one tree can produce enough oxygen for four people.”
Another inedible and invisible yet totally tangible benefit of a tree is its air purifying quality. They absorb pollutant gases such as nitrogen oxides, ozone, ammonia, and sulfur dioxide.
Our green friends also have the potential to absorb odors and act as a filter as little particulates get trapped in their leaves. One year’s oxygen consumption of a big family of 18 can be compensated by a mature acre of trees. Something to really think about.
Have you ever wandered the scorching streets of a crowded city in summer, thinking that all you need is a shade and a glass of cool water? Well, the next benefit of a mature covers that. Trees cool down our streets considerably through providing shades and releasing water – although, of course, the water in undrinkable; bring your own bottle.
If you’re still not convinced that you need to grab a shovel and plant a sapling as soon as possible, still thinking of its advantage for you, it is interesting to know that trees are natural air conditioners.
If you’re thinking that you could cut down your energy bills by planting trees strategically around your home, you are in fact on to something. Although, the perks of such a move extend beyond your wallet, since saving energy will, in the long run, reduce the overall amount of emissions from power plants, thus reducing the global warming.
Besides cooling, trees also save water. “Because of the shade they provide, water will evaporate slowly from low vegetation,” writes Jacobs. Trees need about 56 liters a week in order to survive and they release about 750-1,700 liters of water per day.
Therefore, there is no need to think twice about the appropriateness of planting trees – lots and lots of trees – as a water-saving strategy for arid regions. When it comes to water, trees are like prime investments.
If you have followed this pen up to this point, you might be intrigued. If you’re wondering whether you need to plant a sapling today, I refer you to the wisdom of the old farmer. Even if not for yourself, plant one for your children.
and others