4 Mind-Blowing Facts About Trees!

Hello everyone! Today is International Day of Forests — a day for celebrating all the ways in which forests and trees protect and sustain us.

Forests generate oxygen, store water and regulate climate — yet we cut down an area of forest the size of Portugal every year.

Here are four incredible facts about forests:

• About 36 football fields’ worth of trees are lost every minute due to deforestation.

• When forests are cleared, they emit carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere. In fact, 11 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions caused by humans are from deforestation — equivalent to the emissions from all of the cars and trucks on the planet.

• In 50 years, a single tree can release about 6,000 pounds of breathable oxygen, enough for about four people per year.

• The Amazon region alone accounts for 20 percent of the world’s fresh water and 10 percent of the world’s known species.

Impress your friends, co-workers and loved ones with some more mind-blowing facts about trees: Watch and share this video in honor of International Day Forests.

Now go hug a tree, literally!