How to Save Trees

Co-authored by Kathryn Kellogg and Eric McClure

Last Updated: June 24, 2024 Approved

Trees are an integral part of our planet. They clean the air that we breathe, help remove pollutants, and provide lovely shade on a hot summer day. In fact, they’re so essential to life on Earth that merely living close to trees makes human beings healthier and happier.^{[1]
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Research source} If you want to save trees, rest assured that you don’t have to go out planting hundreds of trees to make a difference. Making a few minor lifestyle changes may not seem like a lot, but you’re sure to help make the planet a better place.

1

Avoid products made with palm oil.

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Palm oil production is uniquely problematic for trees and forests. Palm oil cultivation requires a lot of land. Roughly 27 million hectares of land are used for palm oil production, and much of that land is used to contain healthy natural forests. Read labels at the grocery store to make sure that the products you buy don’t contain any palm oil.^{[2]
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- Palm oil is often found in makeup, shampoo, noodles, chocolate, laundry detergent, ice cream, baked goods, soap, and bread.^{[3]
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- If you do need to buy a product with palm oil in it, make sure that you’re buying from a company that’s making an active effort to source their palm oil responsibly.^{[4]
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  Research source} You may need to do some research on specific companies, but as a rule of thumb, it’s safer to buy products made in countries with stronger environmental regulations.

2

Use less paper.

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The less paper you use, the fewer trees will be needed. While paper production requires continuous planting of trees, the amount of energy and resources that go into making paper is hardly good for the environment.^{[5]
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Expert Source

Kathryn Kellogg
Sustainability Specialist

Expert Interview. 28 June 2019.} Whenever possible, find ways to reduce the amount of paper you use. Whether it’s cardboard, printer paper, or paper cups, look for alternatives to commonly-used paper products.^{[6]
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- Paperless billing is a great way to cut back on the amount of paper you inadvertently create.
- Bring a reusable mug with you to the coffee shop and ask them to pour your coffee in there.
- Get a reusable water bottle to cut back on the need for paper and Styrofoam cups at the office.
- Used or reclaimed wood furniture is often cooler than the new stuff anyway, and it’s a great way to avoid waste.
- Buy used books or get an e-reader so that you don’t need to purchase paperbacks hot off of the press.
- If you’ve got to move, borrow or rent plastic bins instead of buying cardboard boxes.

3

Buy recycled paper products.

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If you need to pick up some paper products, buy responsibly. Read the packaging carefully to see if it’s made out of recycled materials, and seek to buy products from sustainable companies.^{[7]
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Kathryn Kellogg
Sustainability Specialist

Expert Interview. 28 June 2019.} It’s great if you recycle on your own, but if you don’t support the manufacturers who use your recycled paper, it becomes a lot harder for those businesses to justify the additional cost.^{[8]
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- It can be hard to figure out if a company’s claims that their paper is recycled are accurate or not. You may need to do some independent research on certain brands to see if they actually use recycled paper. In general, products that say they’re “made from 100% recycled materials” are more trustworthy than other, vague claims.^{[9]
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- Just to give you a sense of how much of an impact you can have here, we can save 250 million trees a year just by recycling our newspapers!^{[10]
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4

Go for cloth products over paper when possible.

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People often avoid cloth alternatives to paper, but it’s a worthwhile tradeoff. Cloth is always preferable to paper since you can wash and reuse it. Sure, you’ll need to use some water to clean it, but it beats using paper products over and over again if you want to save the trees!^{[11]
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- It takes 17 trees to make a ton of paper towels, but you can always use cloth napkins.^{[12]
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- Tissue paper is made out of tree pulp, but a washable handkerchief is better and more sustainable!^{[13]
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- The average child requires over 8,000 disposable diapers, but cloth diapers can be reused over and over again. It may seem icky at first, but it’s worth it if you want to save as many trees as possible.^{[14]
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- Get yourself a few washable totes and use those instead of the paper and plastic bags that stores use.

5

Push your local government to do more for trees.

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Participating in town hall and city council meetings is a great way to go. Making your voice heard in local government will let them know this is an issue that matters to you. It’s also a great way to push for actionable changes where you live. It may not change things on a global scale, but if everyone were to push for greener, tree-friendly spaces where you live, it would make a massive change!
- You can always write your local lawmakers if you can’t show up in person to make your voice heard.
- A lot of cities and townships have tree planting services where people can ask for a tree to be planted in your yard or on your street. If your city doesn’t have a service like that, you could push for them to start one.

6

Look for volunteering opportunities to plant/protect trees.

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There are tons of organizations out there that could use your help. There are a lot of non-profit organizations out there that fight to protect trees. From deforestation watchmen groups that monitor local lumber companies to make sure they’re behaving responsibly, to smaller local groups that plant trees and pick up trash, there’s sure to be some kind of volunteering opportunity near you.^{[15]
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Science Direct
Online archive of peer-reviewed research on scientific, technical and medical topics

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- Looking online and reaching out to local groups on social media is a great way to get leads on volunteering opportunities near you.
- If you can’t get out to volunteer yourself, don’t sweat it! You could consider donating to a nonprofit organization that focuses on saving and protecting trees.^{[16]
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- You can find volunteer organizations looking for help near you by getting online and visiting https://arbordaynow.volunteermatch.org/.
Jane Goodall, Conservation & Animal Welfare Advocate

Take action in your own life to protect the environment. "You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make."

7

Eat less meat.

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Factory-raised animals require a ton of space to graze. This often involves tearing down acres upon acres of forests and woodlands to make space for all of the animals. By cutting back on your meat consumption, you’ll be reducing the demand for all of those animals. You don’t need to go full-blown vegan if you don’t want to, but swapping out that steak for fish or fresh veggies on occasion will help protect the trees out there.^{[17]
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- Meat production also requires a lot of energy. If you’re also concerned about global warming and the health of our planet, cutting back on red meat is a great way to help.
- If you live near rural woodlands and are comfortable firing a gun (or bow and arrow), you can look into hunting wild deer and consuming their meat like venison. Although you still have to kill an animal to get the meat, this is much more natural, healthy, and environmentally appropriate than raising animals on factory farms.

8

Buy FSC-certified wood.

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If you’re buying lumber or furniture, look for the FSC certification. The Forest Stewardship Council is a nonprofit that promotes sustainable and responsible wood manufacturing. If you’re looking at raw lumber for a home improvement project or you’re picking up a new furniture-making hobby, buy wood that has the FSC stamp of approval.^{[18]
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- A lot of irresponsible lumber companies tear down protected forests to produce wood products. By purchasing from responsible manufacturers, you promote safe and sustainable practices!

9

Spread the word about trees on social media.

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Informing the folks you know is a great way to raise awareness. Whenever you come across a breaking news story about trees being removed or torn down, share it on social media! Bonus points if it’s a local news article that’s relevant to the place where you live. A lot of people don’t even know how important trees are and the more educated people are, the more likely they’ll be to pick up the torch and help fight to save the planet. ^{[19]
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PubMed Central
Journal archive from the U.S. National Institutes of Health

Go to source} If you need talking points, you can point out the following:^{[20]
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- Deforestation and tree removal speed up global warming by trapping more greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
- Tree removal and deforestation often damages the communities that live in those areas.
- It takes a lot of gas, chemicals, and energy to remove natural woodlands.
- Trees help clean the air that we breathe, and the more trees you destroy, the harder it becomes to fight back against pollution.

10

Plant trees.

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It seems like an obvious way to help, but there is some nuance here. You’ll have to do some research on the native trees in your area since you shouldn’t plant anything that won’t thrive. You’ll also need to check your local laws and check with your utility companies before you dig to make sure any yards or public spaces can support a tree. There’s also the maintenance! You’ll need to take care of the tree after planting it to make sure that it grows healthy and strong.^{[21]
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- Planting a tree in your yard can be a lot of work, but it’s going to dramatically improve the air that you breathe. You’ll also have some shade whenever you want it!^{[22]
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  U.S. agency responsible for promoting good agricultural practices and protecting consumers
  
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- If you do not have the resources or space to plant a tree, you can still get many planted in your area by contacting your city's public works department. There is also a project called Team Trees that was started by large YouTubers including Mark Rober and MrBeast and that aims to plant one tree for every dollar donated to their fundraiser.
Educate loggers on sustainable practices. "I used to feel awful when trees got chopped down near my home. Using tips from this guide, I kindly talked to the loggers about responsible ways to harvest lumber. I pointed out how keeping forests intact fights pollution and prevents soil erosion. The loggers ended up agreeing to spare certain trees and pledged to plant new saplings for everyone they removed moving forward." - Rahul R.

Equip conservation groups with expanded tactics. "I am the head of a nonprofit leading local reforestation efforts, and I got fantastic ideas for rallying communities from this article. We now team up with health groups to promote the mood and respiratory perks of preserving tree canopies when petitioning city officials. And we engage more volunteers by touting the social rewards of pitching in on plantings." - Titus K.

Spark an individual’s journey as an eco-advocate. "As someone eager to help the environment, I loved learning easy ways we can each chip in daily, like cutting paper use or eating less red meat. While one person’s actions may seem minor, creating several green habits reduces your carbon footprint and sets an example to make sustainable choices in other areas of life, too. I feel equipped to spark collective progress through local activism." - Rushabh D.

Highlight the overlooked perks of urban trees. "I never realized how many benefits city trees provide besides pleasant scenery. This article framed urban forests as vital tools for combating smog, noise pollution, and even mood disorders by purifying the air. My perspective shifted to seeing every park as a crucial infrastructure boosting wellness. Now, I better understand why my city invests in tree care and feel motivated to enjoy green spaces more often." - Ritika N.

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Question

How can we reduce cutting down trees?

Kathryn Kellogg
Sustainability Specialist
Kathryn Kellogg is the founder of goingzerowaste.com, a lifestyle website dedicated to breaking eco-friendly living down into a simple step-by-step process with lots of positivity and love. Kathryn is the author of two books focusing on sustainability, 101 Ways to Go Zero Waste and 101 Tips for a Zero Waste Kitchen. She is the spokesperson for plastic-free living for National Geographic, has been featured by the Guardian, CNN, Refinery29, and Bustle, and has a following on instagram of over 700k.

Kathryn Kellogg

Sustainability Specialist

Expert Answer

Try to reduce the amount of paper you use since trees need to get chopped down to produce more.

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How can I prevent deforestation?

Kathryn Kellogg
Sustainability Specialist
Kathryn Kellogg is the founder of goingzerowaste.com, a lifestyle website dedicated to breaking eco-friendly living down into a simple step-by-step process with lots of positivity and love. Kathryn is the author of two books focusing on sustainability, 101 Ways to Go Zero Waste and 101 Tips for a Zero Waste Kitchen. She is the spokesperson for plastic-free living for National Geographic, has been featured by the Guardian, CNN, Refinery29, and Bustle, and has a following on instagram of over 700k.

Kathryn Kellogg

Sustainability Specialist

Expert Answer

Focus on buying paper products that have been made from recycled material so no new trees have to be cut down.

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What steps can a neighborhood community take to protect its trees?

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Staff Answer

Start a community organization! Plant a community garden, and lobby your local politicians to protect any parks and public green spaces. You could even host weekly cleanups to make sure that your neighborhood stays clean and well-maintained.

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Work with your local government to create better tree ordinances that protect existing healthy mature trees, which provide exponentially more benefits, like carbon sequestration, air cleaning, cooling, etc, than newly planted trees, which will not begin to provide the same level of benefits for 80-100 years or more.
To reduce how much paper you use, use both sides of any paper you have as well as any remaining paper in your old notebooks.

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