We love trees, and God loves trees. Have you ever noticed how often trees are mentioned in the Bible, and with good connotations? In Genesis 2, God plants a garden… and places Adam in it. God planted trees as a good place for humanity to live and thrive. Likewise, we plant many, many trees each year to improve the environment. We know that trees cleanse the contaminants from our environment. Maybe the “climate activists” should encourage reforestation to replace the millions of acres of trees taken from the earth each year, like in the Amazon and in Haiti.

Genesis 1:29 says that God gave humans every seed-bearing plant and every tree with fruit containing seed to be their food. He gave us plants and trees to sustain life. Trees are also beneficial to stabilize the soil to prevent wash-outs and mud slides and protect from wind erosion, too. Trees provide important biomass each year as they shed their leaves to become new soil through decomposition. Shade from mature trees helps regulate the temperature and can actually cool the area around it 5-10 degrees. We maintain many varieties of trees in our shade house and nurseries to plant each year for a variety of uses, some to help the soil (Neem, Mahogany, Casia), and some to provide food (Papaya, Mango, Mulberry), as in our “edible Plant Nursery.” Haiti used to be covered by big, beautiful Mahogany trees, but they were depleted years ago to help pay debts to France.

We sent some Mahogany seeds from a donor to Wilner at our ATC (Agricultural Training Center) six years ago. Now look at him dwarfed by the first of those seeds we planted. We propagate hundreds of tree seedlings each year in our shade houses that were donated and erected by Joe Perkins and the men of Sustainable Food Production. Thank you, Joe and Ron, and thank you to the donors who faithfully support our Sustainability Programs.

Rad Hazelip, Assistant Executive Director