Girl, 12, helps save city forest in Surrey, B.C.

Olivia Peters, 12, of Surrey, British Columbia, is being credited with helping to save a small forest of century-old trees near her home.

Olivia was walking through the Bose Farm Forest one day when she noticed many of the towering trees had been tagged with paint and orange tape. She soon learned that those 100 trees were set to be cut to make room for a housing development.

The grade 6 student wrote a letter to Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts, asking her to save the trees.

Olivia's letter was published in the Surrey NOW newspaper:

"A lot of people say that you are doing this for the future of Surrey. Well, I and a lot of my friends and family are the future of Surrey, and if plans like this keep getting the thumbs up, there will be no future for Surrey. I really wish that you and the rest of the people who are a part of this plan would think about what the motto 'The Future Lives Here' really means," she wrote.

"Avtar Johl, director with Platinum Enterprises, which is applying to develop the property, said if he can save any trees, he's all for it. Well, why not save all the trees? The plan does not have to happen to this great, historic forest."

In her letter, Olivia listed the people, animals and plants that would be affected by the destruction of the forest, and quoted supporters who spoke up in defence of the forest at a public hearing.

"I really hope that you would take this message to heart. This is not just some email that a kid wants to send to the mayor of her city. It is an email from a concerned citizen of Surrey who wants the very best for the future of Surrey, so please don't just delete this email like it's nothing and doesn't matter," she concluded. "Today, I am pleading with you to really think about what is best for Surrey and to reconsider your decision."

Read Olivia's letter in its entirety here.

As a result of Olivia's passionate plea, some of the Bose Farm Forest will be saved, The Province reported. While housing will still be developed in the area, nearly seven hectares of the forest will be preserved, double what had been initially proposed.

"A lot of Surrey already has so much development," Olivia said in an interview following the good news. "It really made me upset they think they need more development in the area and they have to take down that forest. I grew up around here. I felt I needed to do something rather than just sitting there."

"That is good news," said Olivia's proud mother, Lois. "She’s quite passionate about stuff. Maybe one day she’ll change the world. Right now she’s just trying to change her little part of it."

"Thanks to her willingness to advocate for a greener future in her hometown, the forest that Olivia fought to protect will be around for decades to come — standing as a testament to what is possible when concerned citizens speak-up on behalf of nature, no matter their age," Inhabitat's Stephen Messenger wrote.