Cheerful Glow

In 1986 I had just bought my first house in England. And my house had a beautiful chimney!

Coming from Mauritius I had never lit a fire before!

But, it was a cold winter day and I was frozen. I spent ages teaching myself how to start a fire.

When finally it was going, I was totally mesmerized and spent ages staring at it.

Watching the burning wood transported me into a world that was full of forests and beautiful trees.

Being a writer, I finally dragged myself away to get pen and paper and wrote about the experience.

Wood has historically been used for heating fuel and buidling houses and ships. 25% of the world's trees are used for paper produciton.

We need houses for shelter and we all require paper to carry out our business on a daily basis. However, we must recognize the importance of forests and cannot take forests for granted.

Forests are important for several reasons including the following:

• Preservation for future generations to enjoy. Family camping trip without trees would never be the same.
• They are the habitat of many important species. Tropical forests compose only 7% of the earth's land surface, but are home to more than half of the species on earth!
• Trees use carbon dioxide to produce oxygen and help prevent excessive global warming.
• Additionally, forests nourish the land and prevent desertification.
• We need to have forests since we rely on them as a source of timber.

If we cut down all our trees, we'll no longer be able to continue using them as the source of our building materials, heating fuel, and paper.

Nevertheless, deforestation is a very big and important environmental problem which is yet to be effectively addressed. We can all help by first being aware of deforestation and help by limiting our use of paper and recycling paper as much as we can. Before printing an email think twice.

Note : The facts in the above text have been compiled from various sources from the internet and rewritten in my own words.

Cheerful orange glow

Radiating warmth

Too far

You are uncomfortable

Too close

you can't stand it

I spent ages starting up the fire

Now I sit silently under its spell

As the wood burn

Various shapes form and disappear

I focus on each piece

I see the lines

Where the axe went in

Oh! How these lines tell me about their past

Burning sound

The last sign of life

Their last gift to mankind

I sit in my comfortable lounge

I wonder

Did that living tree deserve

To end this way?

Reading the poem makes me really think about the deforestation issue we are facing.

Trees are beautiful and they provide us with so much. Shade, fruits, firewood, paper, coal and they prevent erosion and these are only a few of their gifts to us.

I have compiled some information that may be of interest about the impact of deforestation.

And please watch the video!