Like adults, kids care deeply about the things and people that they love. For the animal and nature lovers out there (of which there are many) the world could be looking a little bleak.
Many of us, adults and kids alike, will have seen trees coming down in suburbs as a result of increasing housing density. We are likely to have noticed trees dying from the long, hot summer drought, and now will be noticing the magnificent big trees being taken down in an effort to contain the Polyphagous Shot Hole Borer that is working its way through hundreds (if not thousands) of the city’s most iconic trees. Simply explaining why we are losing trees won’t help to cure that horrible feeling in the tummy and sense of grief that a child (or adult) experiences when they see a big tree felled.
A situation like this is the breeding ground for eco-anxiety. Eco-anxiety is term used to describe the worry that many of us are experiencing for the future of the earth and our natural environment. For a growing number of people, this worry is severe enough to cause distress and dysfunction. Some of the symptoms of eco-anxiety include fatalistic thinking, existential dread, guilt related to our own carbon footprint, anger or frustration toward older generations or governments who have not done enough to address environmental issues, feelings of depression, anxiety, or panic, and grief and sadness over the loss of natural environments. Young people, who have the least agency to act on issues yet will suffer the consequences of climate change the most, tend to also suffer the most when it comes to eco-anxiety.
We adults need to offer kids hope around Perth’s tree crisis and climate change more broadly, and hope grows best out of positive action.
Some recent research around kids and volunteering showed that kids rated tree planting as their favourite volunteer activity. It’s easy to understand why. Positively contributing to a cause or issue makes us feel good and volunteering connects us to the broader community. Tree planting allows for time in nature and being physically active, both of which have a positive impact on wellbeing. And of course, there is the end result – usually hundreds of little saplings in the ground with the promise of tall trees and healthy animal habitat to come. Not only do the kids feel good in that moment, but they can get a top up of the good feelings whenever they return and see their trees growing and thriving. Volunteer tree planting offers an excellent return on investment for the volunteers.
While tree planting offers numerous mental health and environmental outcomes, a problem as complex and large-scale as our current tree crisis will require diverse and innovative efforts that account for bio-security risks (like the Borer), a changing climate, and limited spaces across the city. The humble annual community tree planting is not going to be enough to overcome this significant issue.
One innovation born from WA research could change the way we grow and interact with trees in the future. Dr Grey Coupland from Murdoch University is leading the charge on getting kids in Perth schools involved in planting and researching the benefits of pocket forests on small areas of unused land. Not only are the kids benefiting from the experience of creating, planting, and nurturing these forests, the data they are collecting is the perfect anecdote to eco-anxiety. Due to the soil preparation and planting techniques, these forests are reaching maturity up to ten times faster than traditionally planted forests, and with an incredibly fast-growing forest comes canopy, heat reduction and animal habitat.
The next step in this exciting approach is to take what we have learnt from the pocket forests, consult with kids, and plan for future forests to include all these environmental benefits as well as space for kids to explore and play. With some thoughtful design work, winding paths and a bit of space carved out, what is a wonderful scientific and environmental resource could also be a play and wellbeing forest. These Play Forests will provide the space that kids need to explore, climb, build, and imagine – all ingredients of a healthy childhood.
While I chip away at making Play Forests a reality for our communities, I offer the humble tree planting as a perfect opportunity for families to engage in some positive, hope-inspiring action. A quick google search will bring up lots of local council and community planting days for National Tree Day (28 July), and if you are lucky enough to have a spot in your yard that could be home to a tree, I encourage you to get planting. If space is tight, then reach out to your local council to see if you can get a free street tree planted on your verge. Not only will you reap the benefits that trees bring, but you will also be planting hope for a little one in your community.