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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Endangered Species Act
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International Mountain Day
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Celebrating a young girl s age-old discovery
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Festivus
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Registan Square, Samarkand, Uzbekistan
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Indigo bunting
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National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day
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Bow Bridge in Central Park, New York City
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Hitsujiyama Park, Saitama Prefecture, Japan
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Presidents Day
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Kirkilai lakes, Biržai Regional Park, Lithuania
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Sand dunes in the Sahara, Algeria
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A sizzling summit hides in the clouds
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Aerial view of the Colorado River Delta in Mexico
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Here we honor the women who ve served
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Bluespotted ribbontail ray
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International Day of the Worlds Indigenous Peoples
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Mount Hamilton, near San Jose, California
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National Bison Month
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A special day for a special cat
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Tasiilaq, Greenland
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Atrani, Amalfi Coast, Italy
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Maritime forest in Cumberland Island National Seashore, Georgia
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Río Negro, Amazon basin, Brazil
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Terraced rice fields, Yuanyang County, China
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Blue linckia sea stars in Papua New Guinea
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Castilla-La Mancha, Spain
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Christmas Tree Point Road and Twin Peaks, San Francisco
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National Library Week
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Float on