Years ago, I read a newspaper report about a sawmill worker from Bangladesh’s hill region whose story has stayed with me ever since.

He had three daughters and constantly worried about their future. While he believed he could somehow feed and educate them, he had no idea how he would meet the expenses of their marriages. Working at a sawmill had taught him the value of timber, so he came up with an extraordinary plan. He planted around a hundred teak saplings in the yard and around his home.

He immediately replanted the vacant spaces with new teak saplings. Years later, he financed the marriages of his second and third daughters in exactly the same way. Within two decades, not only had he paid for all three weddings, but he had also accumulated considerable savings while another generation of trees was already maturing. Those trees became his greatest financial security.

Eventually, the income from selling timber enabled him to buy a sawmill of his own. He spent the rest of his life in financial comfort.

This is not an isolated story. Trees have transformed countless lives, lifting families out of poverty and creating economic security. Few friends are as valuable to humanity as trees. They provide fruits, timber and livelihoods. They protect us from natural disasters, preserve biodiversity and shield communities from storms.

Bangladesh has repeatedly witnessed the life-saving role of the Sundarbans, whose vast mangrove forests have absorbed the impact of devastating cyclones before they reached densely populated coastal areas. Without these natural barriers, the human and economic toll of such disasters would have been far greater.

Trees also safeguard the environment, provide cooling shade and, most importantly, produce the oxygen that sustains life.

For thousands of years, trees have also been at the heart of traditional medicine. Ayurveda, one of the world’s oldest healing systems, has relied on tree roots, bark, leaves and herbs to treat countless illnesses. Even today, many plant-based medicines continue to play an important role in healthcare.

The more we reflect on trees, the more we discover their immeasurable value.

Their beauty is equally irreplaceable. Trees have made the Earth vibrant and habitable since the dawn of civilisation. They have nourished people and wildlife alike, covered landscapes with blossoms every spring and inspired poets, writers and artists across generations.

Bangladesh, too, has countless unsung environmental heroes. Many ordinary people, despite financial hardship, have devoted their lives to planting trees throughout their villages. One such individual planted more than 30,000 palm trees. Palm trees are known to reduce the risk of lightning strikes, and many experts believe the disappearance of these trees has contributed to rising lightning-related fatalities in rural Bangladesh.

Sadly, greed has driven us to destroy forests and clear trees without considering the consequences for ourselves or future generations. By cutting down forests indiscriminately, we are effectively undermining our own survival.

The global alarm over climate change and environmental degradation should have been sounded decades earlier. Had we acted in time, the damage might not have reached today’s alarming level.

In many developed countries, even pruning a branch from a tree often requires permission from local authorities. Yet in our society, acts of personal revenge sometimes lead to the destruction of entire orchards and plantations. Such incidents raise an uncomfortable question: when will we truly learn to value nature?

There is, however, reason for optimism.

This renewed appreciation of nature offers hope for a greener future.

The government’s ambitious initiative to plant 2.5 billion tree saplings over the next five years, announced by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, reflects that growing commitment. Calling on citizens to help build greener communities through tree planting and environmental conservation, the initiative has already generated widespread public enthusiasm.

A greener Bangladesh will be a healthier, safer and more resilient Bangladesh.

Since its inception, Bashundhara Shubhosangho has planted thousands of saplings across the country every monsoon season, and this year’s campaign is continuing on an even larger scale. Many other social organisations have also joined the movement, demonstrating that collective action can make a lasting difference.

One of Shubhosangho’s slogans is: “A greener future is a better future.”

That vision belongs to all of us.

Let us make one simple pledge. For every child born in Bangladesh, let us plant a tree. Let us nurture that sapling until it flourishes, whether in a home garden or a nearby open space.

If we embrace this commitment as a national social movement, we will not only honour the next generation—we will help ensure that they inherit a greener, healthier and more liveable Bangladesh.