TROPIC OF CANCERAMERICA
NORTH
AMERICA
FORESTS, FOR LIFE
SPECIAL ISSUE: SAVING FORESTSDESPITE SEEING the forest for the trees,
Suzanne Simard once faced harsh crit-
icism for her groundbreaking work.
The professor of forest ecology at the
University of British Columbia bucked
the prevailing theory that a forest’s
trees were isolated individuals. Her
experiments showed that trees live
interdependently, sharing resources
via belowground networks. Simard’s
essay “Lives Depend on Forests” (page
15) emphasizes how ecosystems rely on
those connections, a truth that’s at the
root of this special issue.
Forests keep our world in balance.
They’re the “lungs” of the planet, draw-
ing in carbon dioxide and breathing out
oxygen. They provide habitat for count-
less species. And in a warming world,
they’re our best chance for survival.
Yet our forests are at risk. “It’s a
tough time to be a tree,” senior envi-
ronment writer Craig Welch notes on
page 50. “Earth has lost a third of its
forests over the past 10,000 years, half
of that just since 1900. We logged them
for timber. We cut them to make way
for farms and cattle. We cleared land
to build homes and roads.” Extreme
conditions related to climate change
also are killing trees worldwide.
But it’s not too late to do something.
In an encouraging sign, last fall more
than a hundred world leaders promised
to end global deforestation by 2030.
In this issue we highlight how Aus-
tralia’s Aboriginal people are renewing
their homelands through the ancient
practice of planned burning. We offer
strategies to help save forests. And you’ll
find stunning photographs, graphics,
and maps—opportunities to learn about
and appreciate the forest and the trees.
Thank you for reading National
Geographic.
David Brindley
Interim Editor in Chief
4 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC