During our vacation leave, we decided to do a camping trip in one the highest mountain in our place visited mostly by tourist just to see the wonders of nature.

Trees are everywhere, every nook and crevices of mountain, hills and valleys competing each other to grow beautifully. When fruiting season begin, fruits and flowers were seen with different colors of red, green, orange, yellow and more. The fruits are swinging in unison with the song of the wind. The occupants of the trees, monkeys, birds, insects and other flying animals were busy in their lives going from branches to branches, selecting and eating the fruits of the trees. It sustained them for the whole year as if there is no longer shortage of food supply. The fruits that were falling to the ground with the help of water and sunshine started germination for a new life. This cycle was repeated hundred times in a thousand years without the interference of man.

The environment is full of life, the beauty of nature you can see and admire. It fascinated us to see this breathtaking place. The water is fresh and pure, hundreds of waterfalls and creeks with crystal waters cascading below- commanding that nature has full control of their lives.

We continue our camping to another few kilometers from where we started. It pained us seeing a different view in some of the valley around the area. No trees seen instead grasses around it visible that it was cultivated and left.

Our expectation suddenly changed. We did not believed what we saw. The encroachment of civilization to the land started to change the landscape. Many owners having vast tract of lands to their position. If taken by somebody, he will depend it of what is their property. Even recalling our history, we clearly remember that due to land graving in those days many have died because of land conflict.

There was a portion of the land newly open ready for planting. They damaged and removed the trees, cultivating the land to plant root crops, the trees pulled to the ground destroying our only hope, the presence of trees. They did not even contented, they included small trees along the path of cultivation.

It saddened us. What they did not understand is that without the presence of trees in our surrounding many unfavorable calamities will happen. The forest give life to prolong the human race. Trees improve the kind of air we breathe to be pure and fresh. It is used by many to determine rainfall and season. The atmosphere replenish it by taking water below to fall. Our climate depend on the presence of trees in relation to the season. Forest help to control landslide, erosion. It gives the soil the needed nutrients to sustain all living organism below it.

As the population continued increasing, many people are forced to look for a land to own even to the remotest portion of the forest. They pushed further and the result were devastating. By using a slash and burn it can kill all living organism in the soil.

Deforestation caused so much damage to our environment and cause climate changes. We, human, really don't learn a lesson. They did not fully understand the severity of the damage deforestation could bring. Flood, erosion, climate changes and some other disasters are present when trees are gone.

Controlling it is not easy and even impossible. This will continue years after years if no intervention is made. Initiating tree planting is a best choice to make those areas denuded so that trees still have the chance to flourish again and reclaim the place they once own.