Death Woods

“Tree’s are an endangered species. What with wildfires destroying millions of acres. Heartless loggers annihilating forests the world over. People intent on ridding their surroundings of all natural life. In the UK alone 400 gardens a month are stripped of trees, plants and lawns in place of fake grass and concrete. People. Worse a 1000 fields a month are sold for homes. Every tree that dies means that every passing day Earth is struggling more and more to produce the oxygen we need to live. Every day, the air gets more polluted, viruses get stronger and Earth and all its species grow closer to extinction. If this trend continues, Earth will be as dead as Mars in a few short years. Never cut another tree down unless it has become dangerous. Buy and plant as many trees and plants as you can wherever you can and save Earth from the Earthicidal, greedy scumbags out to kill it!”

I wrote this story in answer to the following prompt:
Friday Fictioneers – Write a 100-word story based on the Photo Prompt image above by© Sandra Crook

Death Woods

Harriet stepped from the trees and burst into tears.

“What is it, sweetheart?” asked her boyfriend Martin.

“The woods used to extend another mile from here. Now, the poor trees are mutilated, sawn stumps.”

“Logging for the sawmill, I guess.”

“You don’t get it. Thousands of birds and animals are now homeless and dead as a result!” Harriet snapped.

“Hey, they’ll move into this bit of woods, Won’t —”

“Not if they kill this bit too!”

“There are more woods,” Martin said with a smile.

Harriet scowled, “Every sawn tree is one tree closer to death for all life on Earth!”   

Thanks for reading my friends.

There’s more in the Poetry Corner, Poetry Nook, and the Short Story Collection

Have a great day!

Published by Mason Bushell

Mason Bushell, is writer and woodworker. He loves spending time exploring the woods and countryside with camera. He loves to write just about anything and hopes you like his tales. In September of 2023 his lost his beloved Lucy dog. She sent him Alice to Love and care for him instead. All spelling, grammar and punctuation errors on this website are not mistakes they're intentional, (As I couldn't bloody find them while editing!) Feel free to contact and find Mason Bushell here: www.twitter.com/MBWorkhouse www.facebook.com/MBWorkhouse All Stories, poems, photos and pieces on the site are copyrighted to Mason Bushell or the original owner as stated (c)2018-2023

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57 thoughts on “Death Woods”

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    1. Exactly! Just last month the leaders of the world destroyed a forest in Cornwall so they could host a meeting about climate change. Humans are screwed because they cant help destorying their forsaken planet.

      Liked by 3 people

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  6. 100% with you on all you say above. The unchecked rate they are cutting them down, with no signs of abatement, gives me little hope. There needs to be a tree court in every jurisdiction, where a tree will remain standing unless you petition the court and are able to prove it is a direct threat to human life before any permit is given to allow its cutting. People look at trees as expendable and a route to money either directly or indirectly. Trees are our external lungs. Money will not help us when the trees are gone.

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. I love your idea of tree court. No tree should be cut unless there is extremely good reason. and that reason is only because it endangers lives
      We must find away to make this happen.
      Thank you, Jade.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. Thanks, Mason, I fear even then it wouldn’t be enough and people can get bought off to approve when it shouldn’t be approved. Right now they are filling in wetlands along the river to build god knows what and nobody seems to care. You are welcome and glad to know others feel strongly about our trees.

        Liked by 1 person

  8. Excellent message, and nicely written, Mason. We certainly need to keep all our trees and plant more as well. Not to mention restricting exploitation of the oceans which are also a source of oxygen, and a sink for CO2.

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. I completely agree. New trees cost money that’s the problem. Government needs to start funding garden centres and nursery’s and have them grow as many native trees as possible and have them available for free. Then they can impose laws banning the cutting of unnecessary trees and enforcing replanting.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  10. It amuses me that the focus is on carbon. Trees could help balance the carbon problem. The real issue is humans collectively over breed, but no one want wants to touch that issue. Less humans = less pollution and land rape, and more animals. If animal populations are out of control, we cull.

    Your story evoked my frustration, well done. 😀

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. I agree. Earth needs a ban on human breeding for about 20 years.
      It needs a permanent ban on hunting, logging, fossil fuels, plastics, and building on land that wasn’t already a building plot.
      This will never happen and so Earth is doomed.

      Thanks for reading, Tannille.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. Where I used to live was a protected forest of oak, silver birch and small leaf lime. If you went off road there were some pretty cool ancient yews too. So Shrawley wood was protected, we moved village last year to the end of the earth where it’s pretty damn windy so I have to walk down hill to stretch my legs in a wood now. But you’re right, trees are coming down at an alarming rate, HS2 has really upset a lot of folks due to the clearing of acres of s as scientists woodland on the proposed train route, which since the pandemic no one needs to travel really quickly to Manchester, everyone sits at home in their tracksuits!!

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Somehow those of us who realise how important trees are have to come together and find a way to make the world realise and stop them being annihilated. I mean bugger the train lines and roads we have enough already!

        Like

  15. Yes. And not only trees. Most importantly oceans, swamps, wetlands… The ecology is very complex and complicated and that’s why it’s such a crime to just mess around here and a bit there. But hey, my convenience is threatened, and what about my car, what about my holiday overseas? What about my plastic bottles, the daily meat on my plate, my my my… sigh.

    Liked by 1 person

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  16. I understand the grief over the cutting of forests and trees. I’m just wondering what alternative you would recommend. If we don’t use lumber for houses, what else can we do instead? Plastic is also considered a ecologic enemy, so that’s out.

    By the way, I read your fun first “Holly” story last night., “Holy Investigates the Steam Train.” Enjoyed it very much. She’s a bright and mature teenager!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Hello, Linda.
      Sorry if I make you feel ‘attacked’ in anyway. I’m just so mad at seeing people seemingly out to annihilate every living tree, plant and creature on Earth.

      We must stop cutting existing trees and begin farming them like everything else. Thats the best way. We have enough wood laying around unused that we can repurpose for a few years. Then when the plantations are ready we have sustainable wood.
      All existing woods must be protected and extended with native trees or we’ll run out of trees, oxygen and life on Earth before 2050.

      Thank you so much for reading Holly’s story. That means a lot to me. I’m so happy you liked it.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. One of my sons is living in England, and one of the things he loves is to find old wood like barn wood, or doors, and if necessary he’ll get permission to take them home and turn them into something beautiful–all sorts of things, like charcuterie boards, salad servers, stools, and so on.

        And I wasn’t feeling attacked at all. I just believe it’s important for us to think through the alternatives.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Hello, Linda.
        I love that he recycles all that beautiful wood. Such a wonderful thing to do. I bet those charcuterie boards are stunning.

        Thats good. We must find alternatives and save Earth somehow and soon. Thank you for asking the great question.

        Liked by 1 person

  17. Need to say here that I’m not looking for a fight. I know there are alternatives, but it seems to me that whichever way we go, something is going to be used up. Just wondering what your thinking is.

    Liked by 1 person

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  18. Sadly I have seen many mature trees removed unnecessarily, with an occasional single tree planted in their place, but most of the replacements are not nurtured and even on occasion damaged deliberately. Even the junior schools are failing in my district… I believe until it is law, that for each tree removed three must be planted and kept alive. Of course I see all trees as special

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. It’s the same globally. Worse young trees do not make homes for all the animals in the ecosystem of the mature trees for decades.
      We all need to combine and have anti-tree-cutting rallies to force law changes.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  20. Well, yeah. Who’s going to pay a dollar and a half to go to the tree museum if they can just see trees for free? Come on, Mason.

    I just spent a week and a half in the town where I did most of my growing up. Logging has always been a big part of the economy. There were protests while I was there, which I initially thought was good. Trees are the planet’s lungs. I later found out the company was trying to log intelligently. They’re trying to remove the sick trees helping to minimize wildfires and older trees giving more room for new growth. Abstinence isn’t always the answer. We have to find a way to cultivate healthy forests while providing for humanity’s needs, which includes a healthy environment, which this company is doing. We have to hope that’s the future or there won’t be one.

    Good story. I agree. There is nothing more important than the planet.

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. We won’t be alive if we cant see trees outside. So the museum will fail anyway.

      Seems that logging company has the right idea. Only take out the nessecary trees and nurture the others. We have to cultivate the trees we need and no only take those from existing forests and woodlands that will benefit those places.

      Thanks for reading.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    1. Hello, Laurie.

      Yes. millions of years ago Mars would have been in the ‘living zone’ of the sun as we are now. It would have been lush and green until either it’s humans annihilated life or it moved into a uninhabitable zone.

      Like

      Reply

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