Trees are some of our oldest teachers. They allow us to thrive, as they are a source of food and oxygen. It becomes frustrating when these precious beauties are taken for granted. On Reddit, one post revealed a local agency in Australia's ingenious tactic to shame destructive residents who chopped down trees around the area: putting up a tree vandalism sign.
Posted to the subreddit r/MildlyInteresting, the photo highlights the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust's innovative tactic of placing a big sign in place of where the tree was cut down, with the left side framing the entire area and the right zooming in on the sign itself. When zoomed in, one can see the sign read in bold letters: "Tree vandalism has occurred in this area."
"Someone chopped down a tall tree to get a better view of Sydney harbour, so [they] put up a tall sign where it once was to block the view," wrote the original poster in the title of their post.
Australia is not the only country prone to vandalism of natural landscapes, unfortunately. For example, in a community park in the United Kingdom, trees that were newly planted were snapped halfway up their trunks. This behavior frustrated local residents, who doubted any serious action would be taken against the vandals. Ultimately, this damage affected not just the visuals but likely impacted the local biodiversity of the area as well.
As mentioned earlier, trees provide many benefits.
From helping to keep the planet's temperatures in balance to improving air quality by catching pollution particles, trees are more than just something pleasant to look at. Research has also discovered that trees create a cooling effect, with forests lowering global temperatures by more than a full degree in some regions.
Respect for nature comes in many forms, but the most notable one is letting nature be. Tactics, such as the one by this local agency, can be the foundation to educate and empower communities to care for trees and other resources, including water and minerals. Whether it be donating money to environmental causes or reducing energy use at home, we all have the ability to make a cleaner, safer future for all.
"I really wish that the criminal penalties for this sort of behaviour were more severe," wrote one Redditor.
"That's some serious karma right there for thinking you can just take nature's view like that," commented another.
"Absolutely perfect, 10/10, no notes," someone else agreed.
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