Trees, trees, trees! We might not be Ents or Elves, but in our humble opinion, there isn’t enough wild nature in the world. One of the things that we love the most about the outdoors, aside from all the cuddly critters and creatures, is taking a long walk in the forest. And it’s a wonderful feeling to look out the window and see a sea of greenery.
We’re not the only ones who think so! The members of one online community, ‘Trees Growing Up,’ share some of the most powerful before-and-after photos of places where saplings were planted and grew into mighty trees, improving the area. Today, we’re featuring the best pics. Scroll down to take a peek! Meanwhile, go hug some trees during your lunch break—we’re sure they’d appreciate it.
#1 Amazing
A couple decided to rebuild their deserted piece of land of 600 hectares in Aimorés, Brazil. They planted more than 2 million tree saplings. As a result, the site has 293 plant species, 172 bird species and 33 animal species, some of which were on the verge of extinction. Took 18 years
Image credits: JustinCayz
#2 Van Gogh’s Painting Of The Trinquetaille Bridge In Arles In 1888 And Today
Image credits: goobly_goo
#3 Boston Big Dig Before, 2004, 2024
Image credits: -Anarresti-
Forest bathing, known as shinrin-yoku in Japanese, is a practice where you spend time in a forest listening to the sounds of birds and insects, touching trees, smelling flowers, breathing in the fresh air, and generally enjoying your surroundings.
Reportedly, this improves your immune system, improves your mental health and mood, and decreases your blood pressure and stress levels.
#4 Norway Maple 1987-2017
Image credits: morons_procreate
#5 10 Year Growth Of Trees Native To The Philippines On A College Campus
Image credits: Filipeanut
#6 Bishan Park, 30 Years Apart. Top Pic, 1988. Bottom Pic, 2020
Image credits: Its_Yaa_Boii
Look, full disclosure, but if yours truly could live anywhere, I’d have a house in the middle of a forest or jungle, near some mountains and the sea. Even though we’re all so advanced and have easy access to amazing technologies and comforts, living surrounded by concrete, glass, and steel can be demoralizing. Not just emotionally but aesthetically.
Our ancestors lived deeply connected to nature. Instinctively, we yearn for the same things. Being in harmony with nature and civilization is the balance that many people, including us, look for. Spending time in nature has a calming effect, reduces stress, and is generally far more peaceful than being surrounded by the 24/7 hustle and bustle of city life. From a very personal perspective, there’s nothing like an hour-long stroll among the trees to clear your head.
#7 Forestation Of Uluborlu, Isparta In Turkey ( 34 Years Difference)
Image credits: reddit.com
#8 Almost 30 Years Of Growth!
Image credits: pstamato
#9 A Dad And His Tree At 4 And 63 Years Old
Image credits: pstamato
The Guardian reports that deforestation is on the rise once again. “The destruction of global forests increased in 2023, and is higher than when 140 countries promised three years ago to halt deforestation by the end of the decade,” Environment Editor Damian Carrington writes. In 2021, 140 countries backed the 2030 zero deforestation pledge at the United Nations Cop26 climate summit.
In 2023 alone, 6.4 million hectares (that’s 16 million acres) of forest were razed in 2023 according to a recent report by Climate Focus, a research group. Deforestation spiked sharply in Indonesia, as well as Bolivia due to demands for beef, soy, palm oil, paper, and nickel. Political changes in these countries contributed to the loss of forest cover, too.
#10 Amazing - 125 Years Of Growth
Image credits: flowergirl52
#11 Place Saint-Michel, Paris, 1953 And 2021
Image credits: morganmonroe81
#12 Buchanan Castle, Scotland
Image credits: Snowonfire1987
In Brazil, there’s been some positive progress in the Amazon, but deforestation spiked in the Cerrado, an ecoregion of tropical savanna in the eastern part of the country. Other nations that have made progress toward the target set for 2030 include Australia, Colombia, Paraguay, Venezuela, and Vietnam.
Climate Focus notes that voluntary cuts on deforestation weren't working, so stronger regulation was needed, as well as more funding for forest protection. What’s more, other factors that can help reduce deforestation include strengthening the land rights of Indigenous people, as well as reducing the demand for certain commodities.
#13 The Connecticut River Valley Looking North From The Summit Of Mount Holyoke In Hadley, Massachusetts 1900 And 2022
Image credits: BryCart88
#14 Mosquito Crossing, Greensboro Georgia (1939 vs. 2021)
Image credits: morganmonroe81
#15 Beckley House At Clark County Museum
Image credits: startswithac
The European Union proposed regulations banning the sale of products linked to deforestation, for example, coffee, chocolate, leather, and furniture.
In early October of this year, the European Commission proposed a one-year delay, in order to phase in the system, after protests from nations like Australia, Brazil, Indonesia, and the Ivory Coast.
#16 Swift River Valley (Massachusetts, Us) 1880s vs. 2010s
Image credits: Ivebeenfurthereven
#17 Childhood Home About 18 Years Apart
Image credits: jinbe-san
#18 Ann Arbor 1964 & 2019
Image credits: olifantenpoot
“We’re only six years away from a critical global deadline to end deforestation, and forests continue to be chopped down, degraded, and set ablaze at alarming rates. Righting the course is possible if all countries make it a priority, and especially if industrialized countries seriously reconsider their excessive consumption levels and support forest countries,” said Ivan Palmegiani, the lead author of the report and a consultant at Climate Focus, stating that deforestation has gotten worse since the beginning of the decade.
#19 San Diego, Ca 1966-2016
Image credits: JanitorOfSanDiego
#20 My High School Right After Its Completion (1965). Fine And Luscious Growth On The Trees In And Outside Of It!
Image credits: DrummerJan1234
#21 Arch Of Constantine In Rome And What It Looks Like Today
Image credits: neonapple
“When the right conditions are in place, countries see major progress. The next year, if economic or political conditions change, forest loss can come roaring back. We’re seeing this effect in the spiking deforestation in Indonesia and Bolivia. Ultimately, to meet global forest protection targets, we must make forest protection immune to political and economic whims,” added report co-author Erin D. Matson, a senior consultant at the same research group.
#22 Photograph Of Glass House At Lal Bagh Gardens, Bengaluru, India, 1890s. The Glass House Was Built To Commemorate Prince Albert's Visit To Bangalore
Image credits: GoobeIce
#23 Used To Be Just Twigs
Image credits: Sir_Alice
#24 Two Trees In Uppsala, Sweden
Image credits: SuperTulle
According to CarbonBrief, after centuries of deforestation, the United Kingdom has become one of the least forested countries in Europe. And attempts to reverse this aren’t seeing much success, unfortunately.
There were plans to plant an area of forest of 30,000 hectares (the size of Birmingham) in the UK by 2025. Though there’s been an increase in woodland creation in the UK over the past year, the original target wasn’t met. Thousands of hectares of woodland remain unplanted.
#25 20 Year Difference - Over 30ft Of Growth
Image credits: Cocoamix86
#26 These Are Albezia. One Of The Fastest Growing Trees. Pictures Taken 1 Year Apart
Image credits: Iridiumstuffs
#27 Today vs. Childhood Memory
Image credits: BasketofTits
Up and running ever since mid-2018, the r/TreesGrowingUp subreddit currently has 11k members from around the world. Though it’s not the biggest online community, it still ranks among the top 7% of groups on Reddit by size.
A big part of why the content the members of the group share is so impactful is because there’s contrast and comparison between the photos. There’s something deeply satisfying about revisiting the same location after a long while. It’s a trip through time. All through the lens of flourishing greenery!
#28 I Found This Abandoned Hotel In The Seychelles. I Found An Old Log Book In The Lobby With The Name Of The Hotel. Berjaya Mahe Beach Resort
Image credits: Spanielvdm
#29 Cyberdyne Being Put Out Of Business In 1991 And Today
Image credits: Vepr762X54R
#30 Kelly Street In The Bronx, NY In 1982 And Now
Image credits: Late-Ad-3136
How much nature are you surrounded by in your day-to-day life at home, work, and school, Pandas? Do you know any local areas that have had lots more trees planted in recent years? How is your home country handling deforestation and reforestation? How often do you go for a walk in the forest?
We’d love to hear all of your thoughts on this. If you have a free moment or two, share your thoughts in the comments section, at the very bottom of this post. Oh, and if you happen to know what happened to the Entwives, be sure to let Treebeard know!
#31 Same Palm Tree
Image credits: reddit.com
#32 Walled City Of Nicosia, Capital Of Cyprus: 1969 vs. 2022
Image credits: yiasminathefangirl
#33 Two Maples In Front Of The Carnegie Library (1901) In 1988 And The Big Boys
Image credits: stumpjungle
#34 This Needed To Be Here Too
Image credits: iamtherealandy
#35 Golden Rain Tree, Koelreuteria Paniculata, At My Work
Image credits: cptboogaloo
#36 30 Years Have Passed And The Tree Next To Cafe In Seinfeld Has Grown Nicely
Image credits: Fake4000
#37 Would You Look At That Tree!
Image credits: AutoCrosspostBot
#38 About 130 Years Difference
Image credits: Garchy
#39 Tupelo Mississippi May 1911 (The Subject Tree Is Ahead Of The House In The Old Photo)
Image credits: stumpjungle
#40 Big Dipper Motel 1959 - 2018
Image credits: szhod
#41 31 Years Of Tree Growing Up
Image credits: fliP-13
#42 My Nearly 100 Year Old Monkey Puzzle Trees
Image credits: adognamedcat
#43 Tree From A 1986 Movie
Image credits: reddit.com
#44 Los Angeles - 1907 vs. 2021
Image credits: BlazingCondor
#45 My Local National Park Authority Shared This 100-Year Grow-Up! May 1921 - June 2021!
Image credits: 10mt12345
#46 That Tree In Front Of The House!
Image credits: helcor
#47 Asakusa, Japan - 1981 To 2019
Image credits: pstamato
#48 The Elementary School I Used To Go To, Greece. In The 50's And Today!
Image credits: kokpit_4
#49 Victorian Homes On Dartmouth Terrace In Springfield, Massachusetts, Around The 1890s Or Early 1900s, And 2017
Image credits: maumascia
#50 The Warringah Freeway, Sydney, Australia (1968 And 2018)
Image credits: Ivebeenfurthereven
#51 This Shot From Columbo 1972 Specifically The Sidewalk Tree And The Hedge Between The Buildings [oc]
Image credits: stumpjungle
#52 Pictures Of Our Century Home Then And Now
Image credits: bigredradio
#53 Tree From The Sandlot (1993) Compared To The Same Tree In 2023
Image credits: SecondSnoob
#54 100 Years Of Growth
Image credits: DirkGentlys_DNA
#55 It Ain't Much, But It's Honest Growth. (14 Years, From Google Maps!!)
Image credits: MoneyNectarine
#56 Only 14 Years Of Growth Near My House, Pretty Big Difference
Image credits: Slayje
#57 That's A Lotta Growth
Image credits: Lokkeduen90
#58 Viewing Down Esplanade Road In Mumbai From The Top Of Watson’s Hotel. Today Known As The Mahatma Gandhi Road
Image credits: Ganesha811
#59 Life On The Farm, 1869 And Now
Image credits: catplumtree
#60 Trees After 102 Years
Image credits: szhod
#61 Film Location From „The Siege“ Starring Denzel Washington And Bruce Willis. (Photo Courtesy Of Phil_grishayev On Instagram.)
Image credits: szhod
#62 San Pedro City Hall 1930's vs. 2018 - Look How Those Palm Trees Grew!
Image credits: deadbeef4
#63 Old High School Turned Senior Center Turned Qpartment Building In My City. 118 Years Apart
Image credits: macwoodworks
#64 Entering Poughkeepsie, NY Off The Mid-Hudson Bridge. Winter '83 And Summer '20
Image credits: reddit.com
#65 Tree Growing Up Near My Home
Image credits: Dwijit
#66 Neolithic Burial Place Over The Last 200 Years
Image credits: Nhenghali
#67 Lucas County Courthouse In Toledo, Ohio. (1904 And Today)
Image credits: WarwickRI
#68 22 Years Of Growth, Same Car Too!
Image credits: brettskeeee123
#69 This Newspaper Ad For A New Neighborhood In Pennsylvania From 1978 vs. 2018
Image credits: Meetybeefy
#70 1993 vs. 2018 Saigon
Image credits: Parlax76
#71 Adding Trees Has Really Beautified Chicago, But Sometimes They Block My Shot! Same Spot, Roscoe And Sheffield, 1963 vs. 2021
Image credits: Ganesha811
#72 The Emancipation Oak In Hampton, Virginia Late 1800s And Now (Interesting Story Of This Tree-Link In Comments)
Image credits: stumpjungle
#73 Maple Boy On The Far Right Side
Image credits: stumpjungle
#74 Trees For The Win!!!
Image credits: chrisriseley
#75 Much Improved
Image credits: iamtherealandy
#76 Tree In Los Angeles From A 1991 Music Video
Image credits: reddit.com
#77 Can You Spot It? About 40 Years
Image credits: DirkGentlys_DNA
#78 Look At Them All…
Image credits: iamtherealandy
#79 Pine Tree Absolutely Dominates Smaller Tree In An 12 Years Time + Lamppost For Scale . Swipe To See All The Photos, Kordelio Greece In 2011 And 2022
Image credits: tetaoapcjyy
#80 2016 Sapling, At 2024
Image credits: mazarax
#81 Oak Tree In Front Of Childhood Home
Image credits: HorridTuxedoCat
#82 Photos From This Person's Adventures In An Abandoned House
Image credits: kaszmonay
#83 Chicago Skyline 1986 vs. 2022 (As Seen In Perfect Strangers)
Image credits: emmettohare
#84 Two Photos Almost One Hundred Years Apart, Norfolk Pine In Manurewa, Auckland, New Zealand
Image credits: Leownnn
#85 1903 Rains After Federation Drought Precision Then Now
Image credits: twosharprabbitteeth
#86 Trees!
Image credits: iamtherealandy
#87 Small Town Biker Gang, 1969 vs. 2021
Image credits: Garchy
#88 Looking Northwest Along Hudson Street From Barrow Street In The West Village, Manhattan, New York. (1936 vs. Today)
Image credits: Late-Ad-3136
#89 Herbert Street In Salem, Massachusetts, Around 1890-1910 And 2023
Image credits: 4tsixn2
#90 New Growth…
Image credits: iamtherealandy
#91 Maple Tree (1975/2019)
Image credits: sverdrupian
