Forests have been the place where we believe our ancestors lived since time immemorial.
I have a technical background and I plead for simple and effective measures to improve the quality of the environment by few simple measures. It is clear that the industry can no longer remain in the middle ages with the steam engine and pollution, but public policies should also help reforestation and not just the restrictions directed only against the population. Paying taxes does not replace or avoid pollution. That money could help reforestation.
Forests have been cut all over the globe and we still breathe, which is still well. Let’s see the impact of afforestation, especially where deserts, drought and lack of water are already starting.
Forest Water Usage and Return
Forests play a critical role in the water cycle by absorbing, storing, and releasing water through various processes. The amount of water a forest returns to the environment largely depends on factors such as tree species, forest type, climate, and soil conditions. For a rough estimate, here’s an explanation:
- Water Absorption (Transpiration): Forests absorb water from the soil through their roots and release it back into the atmosphere through transpiration. A forested area can transpire anywhere from 3 to 10 mm of water per day depending on the type of forest and environmental conditions.
- Water Interception (Canopy and Soil): Forests intercept rainfall through their canopy, some of which evaporates before reaching the ground. Forest soils, especially those with rich organic layers, also store large amounts of water.
- Evapotranspiration: Combined with evaporation from the canopy and soil, evapotranspiration in a forest can be significant. On average, forests return 40% to 60% of rainfall back to the atmosphere through this process, though tropical forests might return as much as 75% of rainfall.
Forest speaking in numbers
In order to highlight the above very pragmatically, let’s take the example the obvious calculation for 20 Ha of Forest. As we already know, a hectare is 10,000 square meters, so 20 hectares is 200,000 square meters.
- Daily Transpiration: Assuming an average of 5 mm/day (middle range), a forest may transpire:
- 5 mm/day = 5 liters per square meter per day.
- For 200,000 square meters (20 hectares), this equates to: 5 liters/m2×200,000 m2=1,000,000 liters/day
- So, 1 million liters (or 1,000 cubic meters) of water may be returned to the atmosphere daily through transpiration alone.
- Annual Transpiration: Over a year (365 days): means 365,000cubic meters/year
When environmental policies would intend for reforestation
Efforts have been made to stop the destruction of tropical forests in Brazil, Argentina, etc., but this does not mean the replanting of trees as I would have expected.
Using the example of a 20-hectare forest, about 1 million liters of water per day or about 365,000 cubic meters per year can be returned to the environment through processes such as transpiration and evapotranspiration. Actual amount may vary depending on local conditions such as climate and tree species but this is not so relevant anymore.
Additional explanations are superfluous, if more forests were cut than were replanted, there can only be a few equally simple explanations. There are conclusions that you can draw yourself. I would be curious to see your opinions with practical impact, not just sterile stories.
After all, simple or complicated things start from a simple idea that could be for everyone to plant at least one tree.
