Why You Should Save Trees

In a sunny, green forest lived a BIG, GRAY ELEPHANT named GOLIATH. Now, Goliath had a very bad habit: he loved to PULL UP TREES! He thought it was a fun game, even if the trees were small or mighty.

One sunny afternoon, Goliath spotted a tall, strong tree. "Time for my hobby!" he grumbled, wrapping his trunk around the trunk. CRACK! THUD! The big tree crashed down.

A tiny, colorful bird named PIP suddenly popped out of the branches. "Oh no! My house! My nest!" Pip chirped sadly. "Goliath, you've DESTROYED MY HOME!"

"Hmph," snorted Goliath. "I don't care. It's my hobby, and I'm big. I can do whatever I want." He lumbered off, feeling very proud of himself and not thinking about Pip at all.

Pip flew away, but before he left, he called out, "Goliath, you should learn to respect the trees! They do more than just stand there!"

The Big Storm

A few weeks later, the sky turned a grumpy, dark gray. A HUGE STORM blew into the forest! Rain fell down like a giant shower, and the wind howled a scary song.

The little streams in the forest quickly turned into RUSHING, MUDDY RIVERS—a big FLOOD was coming!

The trees that Goliath hadn't uprooted held the soil together with their strong ROOTS, like giant anchors. They helped slow the water down and kept the land from washing away.

But where Goliath had pulled up all the trees, the land was loose and soft. There were NO TREE ROOTS to hold the earth firm.

Suddenly, a massive wave of mud and water rushed right through the empty space. SWOOSH!

Goliath was munching on some grass when the flood hit. He tried to stand firm, but there was NO TREE NEARBY for him to grab onto! The loose earth couldn't hold him. "Oh, help!" trumpeted Goliath as the fast water swept him away!

A Very Important Lesson

Pip the bird saw the poor elephant struggling in the water and landed on a sturdy, tall tree that Goliath had forgotten to uproot.

"See, Goliath!" Pip chirped. "Trees aren't just for building nests! Their roots hold the soil so strong that they help STOP FLOODS! When you destroy a tree, you destroy the PROTECTION for the whole forest and even for yourself!"

Goliath coughed and spluttered, clinging to a large branch that had broken off another tree. "You are right, Pip! I was so selfish and foolish! I will never uproot a tree again! Trees are our friends!" he promised.

From that day on, Goliath became the forest's official TREE-PLANTER. He used his big trunk to dig holes and plant new saplings, helping the forest grow stronger and safer for everyone.

The lesson is: Be kind to trees, because they are kind to us!

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