The quality of the Taiwan Red Cypress wood is great because it is lightweight so lots of people want to cut down the trees to use the wood. The other big threat is tourists. The bark looks like it would be fun to touch, peel, or cut into. You might think that making a little cut or taking a bit of bark couldn’t harm such a giant tree, but that is not the case! No matter if it is a special tree in Taiwan, a tree at your school, or any tree in the world, we must be sure not to harm it. Cutting or peeling the bark can take away the tree’s protection from things like disease and bugs; you could make the tree sick! It is our responsibility as visitors to local parks, national or state forests, and national parks to Leave No Trace - this includes not carving your name into trees. Take lots of pictures and gently touch the bark if you want to learn what it feels like, but never take any bark or cause it harm. We are so lucky to get to experience beautiful nature all over our world!
