For International Day of Forests today, we’re looking at a baobab grove in Senegal. The indigenous cultures of sub-Saharan Africa, where baobabs grow wild, have long relied on the trees for a variety of uses. The fruit, seeds, and leaves are all edible, and in Tanzania, the wood pulp is a fermentation ingredient in local beers. Forests of all kinds provide many natural resources that humans use, and sometimes overuse. This year’s theme for International Day of Forests is ‘forests and education’; it’s an effort to get us all thinking about the more abstract benefits of healthy forests. A dense forest can clean both the air and water by pulling carbon compounds and other pollutants out of the ecosystem, and forests greatly reduce erosion.
The power of the forest
Today in History
More Desktop Wallpapers:
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Indigenous Peoples Day
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How Quảng Ngãi got its grove back
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Red squirrel
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The parenting of a piping plover
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An island hopper s paradise
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Commemorating peace in Antarctica
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The tale of squirrels like Nutkin
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Monarch butterflies, Pismo Beach, California
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When an ideal microclimate gives you lemons…
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A lofty lighthouse and a little ocean spray
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Summer solstice
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North Cascades National Park at 50
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Cetacean Saturday
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Jerte Valley in bloom
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Saskatchewan s spookier side
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Dreaming of the Tyrrhenian Sea
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Bridge of Hillsborough County
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Baddest of the badlands
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A dreamy start to the Year of the Pig
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Happy Hobbit Day
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Bridge of Hillsborough County
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Winter in the Wild West
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Rising up from the black sand like rock gods
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National Take a Hike Day
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Corn maze in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania
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The largest living organism on Earth
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World Space Week
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Procida, Italy
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A palace for the public
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Casting a vote for women s history