Protect trees on the Atomic Road Trees on the atomic road

Scientists believe that 125 million years ago, angiosperm evolved as the first flower on earth. This angiosperm grew flow­ers and held the seeds that protect the ovary i.e. the fruits. At this period, the whole earth was cov­ered with rainforest and the earth became warmer. The evolution of this angiosperm forms the majority of trees species today covering the whole earth.

According to Charlotte mid-18th centuries, a settler in Europe states that, trees were cleared for evolution of infrastructural build out and its proliferation grounds were utilised as farmlands.

Many forest areas are destroyed due to the enviable nature of man to acquire what he cannot form or create.

Environment

Trees in our environment con­tribute a lot to the development of our society and the development of man, however, inventions and technology of man are killing millions of lives and changing the dynamics of nature.

Trees release carbon dioxide in the night and during the day, they respire to the earth where human beings inhale oxygen in the day and other living things breath in the same air from the creation of God to survive with good breathing from the trees.

Nature is beautiful when trees look evergreen and produce good air for the living things in society. That beautifies the existence of man.

In the medieval time, man was living freely with animals in trees, birds fly and other mammals ju­bilate and play in trees where they also feel the existence of nature and communicate their joy to God.

The beautiful nature of a tree gives a true life to man where man feels comfortable embracing natu­ral inheritance of beauty of clean oxygen air during the day from the environment he lives.

According to Charlotte et al 2018, the tree cover drops to 45 to 49 per cent globally and the num­ber continues to drop due to evolu­tion of new architectural evolution, human settlement or urbanisation and infrastructure development.

We must be very clear to our­selves that trees age multiplicity pressure both forest and urban for­est health and safety to mankind.

Atomic road

The large bodies of matured trees impound more carbon dioxide, absorb more storm water, cast larger areas of cooling shade, provide wild life habitat, protect more undergrowth and serves us wetlands in some areas like the Ghana Atomic Energy Commis­sion (GAEC) and its environs.

The 200-metre road on the Atomic Energy Commission with the beautiful designed trees on both sides of the road is serious­ly under threat due to the road construction work coming from Haatso.

As an environmentalist and a researcher, these trees along the stretch on both sides of the road provide comfortable temperature for the pedestrian, motorist, and also provide shade on the road when driving.

Infact, the trees along the stretch of both sides of the road beautify the road, particularly providing shade on the road when the sun becomes too hot for driving.

These trees prevent increase in temperature due to less shade and also less storm water absorption.

I think proper engineering work can make this place as one of the well-structured engineered work on this road just like the other devel­oped cities in Europe and Amer­ica where the roads are designed through the trees with architectural planning without destroying the trees.

Planting trees on both sides of the road always cut off vibration from vehicle speakers and prevent noise pollution which is above 15 to 18 decibels by absorbing the sound or the vibration.

All these attest to the fact that, the GAEC is having a serene en­vironment in operating in a sound and perfect peaceful environment with these good conditions from the vehicles plying the road with noise pollution and vibration and sounds.

This will enable the research environment to be carried out without noise and disturbances from external noise to disconnect them from their research activities.

One of the simplest understand­ing and scientific understanding of planting trees in the cities is for the trees to absorb water and release vapor through evapotranspiration from their leaves which always produced cooling effects.

Trees also provide shade for the ground and buildings, resulting in further cooling and less energy.

Trees reduce cooling cost and make the outdoor safer for neigh­bours and provide shade for the residents around the same environ­ment.

Wetland

With that, the GAEC land is well known to the people in the com­munity as a wetland, where trees that are planted on both side of the roads to improve water quality by purifying rain water and prevent flooding by reducing runoff.

These trees sometimes prevent storm water in some parts of the Atomic Township and part of Haatso.

These trees were planted some years before independence and they help to control our mental health which always relieve stress, lower blood pressure and provide sense of calmness.

It is always important to plant more trees in the city especially where there are higher levels of stress- related problems.

A place like the GAEC as a research institution and a university community as a learning environ­ment should benefit from all these priorities from the trees.

With our climate situations in the world today, trees also improve climate resiliency by planting new trees and keeping mature trees alive for some years to come.

I am calling on the wildlife organisation and the Forestry Commission to sit up and protect the lives of these trees on this Atomic Road.

Architectural design

Good architectural design from a well-endowed construction firm will not give a bad note on de­stroying the beauty of these trees on both sides of the road on the GAEC.

Only incompetent and corrupted architectural personnel will create disappointment to the people of Ghana and destroy the memory of our great grandparents who toiled and stood in the hot sun to beauti­fy the road sides with these trees.

My candid opinion is that the engineer in-charge of the con­struction should save our lives and construct another road opposite, which is the right side on the vast land on the Atomic land without touching the trees and save the lives of the trees on both sides of the road.

This is a wakeup call before the mess is created. I am calling on the Wildlife organisation and the Forestry Commission to sit up and protect the lives of these trees on the Atomic Road.

The writer is an environmen­talist and a researcher

BY LOUIS DOGBATSEY