We have all been taught the merits of planting trees. One by one, “The Man Who Planted Trees” popped fat acorns into the bare hill sides of Provence in Jean Giono’s spirtual tale. Gradually the shepherd created a forest in a beautiful allegory of hope.
Chile, the country in which we are doing our5000mileproject.org run is currently shrouded in forests, from its mystical “Tolkienesque” southern temperate rainforests to its comical stands of Araucaria or monkey-puzzle trees. Indeed of the 75 million hectares of land that comprises this thin slice of a country, approximately 21 % is covered by forests. In comparison, the USA boasts 33% of forested land and the UK a measly 12%.
So should we be congratulating the USA and Chile while beating the UK for their respective wealth and lack of woodlands? The answer of course is rather more nebulous…. Please click here to read more: http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/10/15/5000-mile-project-when-is-a-wood-not-a-wood/