Dear 45th President,                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       No one, nothing, deserves to die. Wouldn't you agree? In this case, these things that are being killed are perfectly innocent.

48 football-field lengths of trees are cut down every minute. That's equivalent to 46-58 thousand square miles every year. About half the Earth's tropical forests have been cut down, according to World Wildlife Fund’s Deforestation Threats. We lose a ton of wildlife along with those trees. They usually cannot survive without their natural habitat.

I live in the capital city of Idaho. My house is in a quiet neighborhood on an old ranch. When I was little, our neighborhood was tucked into a little corner of the foothills. I remember playing outside and hearing the cows moo and horses whinny. I loved to go watch them graze peacefully. But now i’m 13 years old, and things have changed.

First, the ranch owners sold most of their ranch. Then, workers came and built big, expensive homes on that land. As more and more people move in, the worse I feel. “What happened to this wonderful place?” I wonder. But the workers decided that wasn't enough. They expanded into the foothills, now there is a bald chunk of hills above my neighborhood. I’m sure there will be houses there by the time you read this. The poor farm animals are squished into a little fenced-in area. I try to bring them a carrot or two, but they’re scared. And I don’t blame them.

One word: Money. It’s what drives deforestation. They cut the trees for wood, supplies for medicine, food, ect. I know we need it. But what people usually don’t realize is that the wildlife needs it, too. The wildlife uses it for the exact same things we do. But their homes are also in there. And by cutting down forests, we are taking away everything from them. “Seventy percent of Earth’s land animals and plants live in forests, and many cannot survive the deforestation that destroys their homes,” says National Geographic. “Deforestation has many negative effects on the environment. The most dramatic impact is a loss of habitat for millions of species.”

We can change. My idea was that we could take a very, very large space with fertile soil, and plant trees. And when they grow, cut them down and plant new ones. Basically a tree farm, but it saves lives. Countless lives. The animals could stay in their forests, and we will have the resources we need.

I really hope you read this, even though there is a fifty-fifty chance you do out of all the letters you are sent. But thanks anyway. It would mean the world to me if you could consider changing something. I appreciate your time to read this.

Sincerely,

Rylee Stangel