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00:00 Trees are the silent architects and constant custodians of Earth.
00:04 They've been a fundamental part of all the ecosystems on our planet for millions of years.
00:10 We don't always acknowledge or even notice them, but they're there.
00:13 And if they ever weren't there, then we'd be in a lot of trouble.
00:17 This is Unveiled, and today we're answering the essential question; what if all the trees
00:22 died?
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00:34 Let's start by leafing through the vast world of trees as we currently know them.
00:39 According to a massive, multi-authored study published in the journal PNAS in 2022, Earth
00:45 is home to approximately 73,000 different tree species, including around 9,000 that
00:51 are currently undiscovered.
00:53 These range from the towering redwoods to the diminutive bonsai, and while it's impossible
00:58 to put a precise number on it, estimates suggest that there are more than three trillion individual
01:03 trees in the world in total.
01:05 Every single one of them contributes to a green cover that blankets around 30% of the
01:10 Earth's total land area.
01:12 These are old souls as well.
01:14 Some trees have been witness to the passage of centuries, standing as ancient sentinels
01:19 on our planet for literally hundreds of years.
01:22 The Methuselah tree, a bristlecone pine in California, is more than 4,850 years old,
01:29 making it one of the oldest living organisms on Earth.
01:32 Meanwhile, there are ancient woodlands and forests dotted all across the world map, all
01:38 containing within them a unique record of history.
01:41 The tree kingdom has encountered a considerable number of problems, especially in the industrial
01:45 age of humankind.
01:47 But it does still exist, and is still vital.
01:51 Trees might reasonably be called the lungs of the Earth.
01:54 They play a crucial role in maintaining the balance of atmospheric gases in Earth's
01:58 atmosphere.
01:59 Via photosynthesis, trees take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen.
02:03 Again, if Earth were a body, then somewhere like the Amazon rainforest in particular would
02:09 be one of its most vital organs.
02:11 It can be said, then, that trees are our natural air purifiers, filtering out pollutants and
02:17 providing continuously fresh air for all living organisms.
02:20 But then again, that's not all they do.
02:23 Whenever trees clump together to form forests, woodlands, groves, and thickets, they become
02:27 thriving biodiversity hotspots, hosting a constantly updating mosaic of plant, animal,
02:34 and fungi species.
02:35 The so-called "web of life" really relies on trees for shelter, but also for food, energy,
02:41 and for essentially maintaining the natural order.
02:44 If the trees disappeared, all of the order that they provide would collapse.
02:49 Whenever trees are lost, even on a smaller scale, it knocks everything out of balance.
02:55 Delicate systems get thrown into disarray, and they often can't recover.
02:59 There is an almost instant ripple effect throughout the food chain, which ultimately leads to
03:03 the extinction of some, sometimes many, species.
03:06 The plants and animals that do survive are forced to either adapt or migrate.
03:11 If all the trees on Earth were to disappear, then we'd see this kind of environmental
03:15 devastation play out to the worst possible degree.
03:18 Without trees performing photosynthesis, the oxygen levels on Earth would plummet, leading
03:23 to a gradual suffocation of life.
03:26 Of course, humans would not be immune to this.
03:28 And although we might hope to combat the issue with tech-driven breathing solutions, there
03:32 is no doubt that in a world without trees, most of us would die.
03:36 Or in fact, never be born at all.
03:38 A tree's absorption of carbon dioxide has other key benefits as well, though, including
03:43 that it plays a major role in regulating the climate, ensuring that temperatures are not
03:47 only survivable, but usually tolerable and even pleasant.
03:51 Take the trees away, and you lose this crucial natural mechanism.
03:56 Greenhouse gas levels would soar as a result, triggering runaway climate change.
04:00 This also means that extreme weather events would become more and more common, all while
04:05 rising sea levels would continue unchallenged.
04:08 The trees stop taking carbon, the world heats up, the ice melts, the waters swell… and
04:13 all of that combined would pose a severe threat to human civilisation.
04:18 All while almost all other habitats quickly and inescapably degrade, too.
04:22 You might hope that Earth would rejuvenate.
04:25 In even the most dramatic apocalypse hypotheticals, there's usually an expectation that the
04:30 plants, at least, will one day rise again from the ashes.
04:33 Here, however, even that resurrection is in doubt… mostly because soil erosion would
04:37 be another big concern.
04:39 As they are, tree roots anchor soil, maintaining its structure.
04:43 But without trees, that structure fails, which is partly what soil erosion is.
04:48 This would then rapidly accelerate, leading to barren landscapes the world over, the increasing
04:53 loss of arable land, and an even greater likelihood of even more natural disasters, such as massive
05:00 landslides and far-reaching floods.
05:02 If anything on Earth did survive, then the planet that it would wake back up to would
05:07 be hugely changed.
05:08 But finally, is this scenario really feasible?
05:11 Certainly, the idea of all the trees suddenly dying is quite far-fetched.
05:16 Short of there emerging some kind of tree-hungry superbug, this isn't something that's
05:20 going to happen any time soon.
05:22 However, real-life threats to trees en masse definitely do exist.
05:27 Deforestation, climate change, wildfires and disease can all contribute to the decline
05:32 of tree populations.
05:33 It's therefore vital to proactively address these issues to prevent irreversible damage,
05:40 and to stop us from turning this seemingly far-off hypothetical into something that could
05:44 actually unfold.
05:45 So, how do we avoid the apocalypse of trees?
05:49 While the natural world says that everything lives and everything dies, in general we could
05:54 be doing our best to not speed that process along.
05:57 This means sustainable practices, such as implementing forestry plans which ensure that
06:02 the harvesting of trees is done in a way that allows for long-term regeneration and minimises
06:08 the short-term environmental impact.
06:10 There are massive economic incentives here, too, as trees and forests contribute significantly
06:16 to economies worldwide through timber, non-timber forest products and ecotourism.
06:21 If we were to cut trees down to the point of them disappearing, then we'd lose all
06:25 of that - although the aforementioned loss of oxygen would still be the greater problem.
06:31 Other ways in which the tree-pocalypse could be dodged include reforestation efforts - planting
06:35 trees in deforested areas, but doing so in such a way that we are sensitive to precisely
06:41 what's needed.
06:42 As the growing business of rewilding has begun to highlight, simply replacing once-ancient
06:47 tree groups with monoculture forests of pine, for example, isn't always the best strategy
06:52 for success.
06:53 Meanwhile, conservation is a further area in which everyone can get involved if they
06:57 want to - because if we protect the trees that do remain, then the biodiversity that
07:02 they support can continue to live.
07:05 Thankfully, in the modern world the importance of trees is at least known, even if that knowledge
07:10 is often ignored.
07:11 Today, there are widespread campaigns for tree preservation, with environmentalists,
07:16 scientists and concerned citizens all rallying to curb deforestation, and for a turnaround
07:22 in tree fortunes.
07:23 It could be argued that these kinds of behaviours are humanity returning to its roots, in a
07:28 literal and figurative sense.
07:30 In cultures and traditions all over the world, trees hold an often-sacred place.
07:35 They've served as meeting points in history.
07:37 They've inspired artists and scientists alike.
07:40 They're often imbued with mystical powers in mythology and folklore.
07:44 Perhaps the most famous depiction of trees in modern literature is found with the Ents
07:49 in J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings… and for Tolkien, too, the trees serve as guardians,
07:56 as well as connecting points between nature and sentient beings.
07:59 The message here is clear - the fate of trees is intertwined with the fate of all life on
08:05 Earth.
08:06 The famous "Last March of the Ents" was a rescue mission and then some.
08:10 So what's your verdict on this alternate reality?
08:13 But also, on how we should view trees in the here and now?
08:17 Are you involved in tree conservation?
08:19 Or have you just started trying to grow some trees or plants of your own?
08:23 Let us know in the comments.
08:25 Unfortunately, for all the positive improvements that humankind has made in recent years, decades,
08:30 and centuries, the total loss of trees is more than a mere and fleeting hypothetical.
08:35 It's a stark reminder of the importance and fragility of our planet's environment.
08:41 Trees are the often unsung heroes, holding everything together… so much so that when
08:46 they are there, it's perhaps easy to take them for granted… to walk or drive past
08:51 without even registering them.
08:53 But, if they ever weren't there, then we'd critically miss them… because that's what
08:57 would happen if all the trees died.
09:00 What do you think?
09:01 Is there anything we missed?
09:02 Let us know in the comments, check out these other clips from Unveiled, and make sure you
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