THANK YOU FOREST

THANK YOU FOREST

Oh my God! I just can't believe that my tight schedules had made me forgot the day that has been set aside internationally to celebrate an ancient complex biological community called Forest.

I could have left the day unnoticed but i am very sure Mother earth won't forgive me if i fail to celebrate the benevolent nature of this community that have been supporting the continuous existence of lives on this terrestrial ball from time memorial, a community that have been of tremendous blessings to me and my entire generation. Hence, the monumental necessity of this great write-up.

_"Feed a frog for 3 years and he will remember you for 3 years. Feed a man for 3 years and he will remember you for 3 days"_
-Anonymous.

This is a true saying and its worthy of our careful and critical logical examination. For a Forest community that has been of great help to humanity from creation till now, only a day out of the abundant 365 days of the year has been set aside to celebrate this entity called Forest and yet not many of us even bother to celebrate her and even to those that did celebrate her, it was not done to its fullness.

I know how man bothers much about appreciation. The rate at which man seeks for appreciation and celebration these days is even far more greater than their search for food. We all loved to be loved, celebrated and appreciated most especially anytime we render any service or assistance to our fellow humans. At times we even feel bad and hurt when such an appreciation tarries or didn’t even come but its very unfortunate how less we care about the forest that does for us millions of things that we can't even quantify or measure.

Are we to talk of the magnificent roles played by forest in mitigating climate change? They serves as a sink for most of the obnoxious gases that would have been very injurious to our health.
Are we to talk of the production of quality, pure and fresh oxygen produced as result of the sequestration of these unpleasant gases? If we are to pay for the amount of oxygen we breathe in, how many one of us can afford it even for a week? Ask those on the live support in the hospital, they will tell you how expensive it is and yet we didn’t even value and respect this entity God has been using all these years.
Are we to talk of the the services and goods derived and produced by the forest?
I know a lot of countries and community that depends on this for their survival and economic growth. Too many are the benefits, both the Non-Timber benefits and the timber benefits that we enjoyed from the forest.
Are we talk of the watershed management ability of the forest?
Are we to talk of the amelioration and wind-break potentials of this divine community?
I can continue to mention a lot of these benefits that we enjoy from the Forest because they are countless. This i do not to make you devalue or exploits the Forest the more but to make you see reasons to appreciate her and value her.

Enough of our unlawful felling of our trees!
Enough of the illegal killing of our wildlife resources!
Enough of our indiscriminate bush burning!
Enough of the wasteful use of our Forest resources!
Enough of the anti-forest conservation policies by our government!
Enough of the destruction of forest in the name of development and urbanisation!

It is high time, we started having a rethink. A change of mindset. A paradigm Shift.
It is high time we began to value our forest resources.
It is high time we began to fight against the poachers decimating our riches in wildlife resources!
It is high we stood to fight illegal tree fellers.

It is high time we began to preach the message of conservation.
It is high time we began to make wise use of our forest resources.
Remember, our existence to a greater extent has a lot to do with the longevity of these ancient complex biological community.
The more we decimate it, the greater our problems.
Remember, the last man on earth will die when the last tree in the forest is being felled.

I love Forest.

Happy International Forest Day.

I am proud to be a forester!

Signed;
Ogunyemi Olakunle Joshua.
Pka: *Prof Kay*
07063403997
www.olakunle4impact.blogspot.com