Save strategic reserve

A fully grown tree releases 1,000 liters of water vapor a day into the atmosphere. What happens when forests are cut down? No more water vapor. No more clouds. No more rain. Released carbon dioxide. Increase of heat and pollution. Drought. Desertification. A changed climate. A changed planet.

Water-filled clouds are flying rivers that travel a long ways.

All of this is happening in places like California and Brazil because there was no planning involved. We arguably are at, or perhaps even way past, the tipping point. How are we, in Arkansas, responding at this critical juncture? Unfortunately, in the natural state, we are doubling down on deforestation.

Why don’t we try and develop new economic opportunities for a sustainable planet, like eco-tourism? It is the fastest growing segment in tourism. The millennials are the fastest growing demographic and they are looking for meaningful change. The millennials are interested in tiny houses. They are interested in water-recycling systems and solar-power solutions. They want to suck clean air into their lungs.

We cannot allow shortsighted governors to sell out our strategic reserves. We don’t want to walk around with masks on our faces. We want to see the sun. We need rain.

At the end of the day, It all begins with the forests, and how it ends depends on how much forest we keep. Our Ozark forests are our strategic reserve. The real costs of not keeping the forests are not even quantifiable. Gov. Asa Hutchinson, please meet with a few of us here in Northwest Arkansas. We can’t give you cash, but we can give you brilliant ideas and a novel way of looking at things. SUSAN PANG

Garfield