Plant a Yuletide Tree...a Gift for Mother Earth EcoAlert from American P.I.E. 06 December, 2006   In southwestern Germany, between the Rhine and Neckar rivers, lies the Black Forest, a mountainous region that takes its name from the dark coniferous trees that cover its slopes. As a result of acid rain, as many as one-half of the trees in the Black Forest, and a similar percentage in Switzerland's central alpine region, are dead or dying. Closer to home, New England¹s sugar maple, source of the region¹s maple syrup industry, is experiencing dramatic losses and will eventually recede from all U.S. regions but the northern tip of Maine by 2100 if present day fossil fuel emissions levels go unchecked. Across the globe, trees are dying at an escalating pace from cutting, from pollution, from ultra-violet rays, from planetary heating, from adventitious pests and diseases.   In this seaon of fragrant boughs, holly berries and gifts for family and friends, it seems appropriate to consider offering a gift for Mother Earth...by planting a live yuletide tree.   As every school child knows, there are a host of ecological, commercial and aesthetic reasons to plant trees. Children also know that trees play a major role in maintaining the balance of planetary carbon. A lesser know insight, both for children and many adults, has to do with oxygen.   It has been an article of faith - and science - that the oxygen content of the global atmosphere is and ever has been - in modern geological times - a steady 21 percent. Should, however, oxygen content rise above 25 percent - photosythesis gone berserk - one single lightning strike would, according to one scientist (Charles Little, The Dying of the Trees), consume all the plant life on Earth in a nearly instant conflagration; should it sink below 15%, no fire could be started. In neither case would we humans be here to witness the calamity.   What does this have to do with trees? The answer is, it has everything to do with trees. Often referred to to as the lungs of Earth, trees - which transform carbon dioxide into oxygen - may be losing their capability to recycle the atmosphere's increasing loads of carbon dioxide. And coniferous, yuletide trees have leaves - needles - which are especially prone to damage caused by year-round exposure to destructive ultraviolet rays (UV-B), acid rain and associated pests that prey on trees in their weakened condition.   In this season of hope, consider planting a live, yuletide tree, a hopeful and environmentally responsible act. Call American PIE for tips on caring for a tree if you plan to bring it indoors for a period of time. Plant a yuletide tree...a gift for Mother Earth.   Act today on this EcoAlert, and thank you for your environmental responsibiity.   American P.I.E. Public Information on the Environment P.O. Box 676     Northfield, MN  55057-0676   Call 800-320-APIE (2743) E-mail info@americanpie.org Fax 507-645-5724 Click here to support our efforts! American Public Information on the Environment, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is dedicated to developing and administering action programs which help build a more informed, environmentally responsible, activist citizenry in the United States. The environmental mission of American P.I.E. rests on the premise that building public awareness is the most effective of all the long-term forces for change.