The truffula trees are the plants that provided the resources for The Once- ler to produce his products. However, the trees represent all the other plants and animals that are suffering due to human impact on the environment. These trees were harvested to produce the very products that most people can't live without on a daily basis (or think they can't live without). Although they are beautiful, they offer us much more when harvested. It is hard to see the value of such things until they are gone. When looking outside on any given day, it is hard to imagine that there are not enough of these resources. Are there enough? Will we one day run out?
The Rainforest - be sure to click the links under the title "Inside this Article", especially the one on deforestation http://science.howstuffworks.com/rainforest.htm
Logging in the jungles of the Phillipines- What Happened?? http://www.forestsmonitor.org/en/reports/550066/550071
The Threats to Freshwater Wildlife http://www.nature.org/earth/rivers/coverstory.html
Our Oceans in Danger: A look at 5 different ecosystems http://www.nrdc.org/water/oceans/worlds/intro.asp
Air Pollution in China http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cabs/indoe.html
Check the air quality in your area for the day: type in Knoxville, TN to get a daily update http://www.weather.com/activities/health/airquality/?from=secondarynav