Truffula Valley Ecological Disaster

"But now... now that you're here, the word of the Lorax seems perfectly clear. UNLESS someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not."

- The Once-ler

The Truffula Valley Ecological Disaster was a massive environmental disaster caused by human activity that took place in the Truffula Valley. The main actors in the disaster were the Once-ler and the Lorax. This environmental disaster is the largest ever recorded in human history. In terms of overall environmental repercussions, it is above the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, which is the second largest ecological disaster, by a considerable margin.

Background
The Truffula valley was a lush forest of truffula trees and grass with glistening rivers flowing from its surrounding mountains. It was primarily populated with several species of herbivorous creatures, notably Brown Bar-ba-loots, Humming-fish, and Swomee-Swans. The most crucial component of the Truffula Valley's ecological web was the truffula trees. The truffula trees in the valley were responsible for providing the denizens of the forest with a grape like fruit that was a major component of the creatures' diet. The truffula trees also provided oxygen to all the forests' inhabitants through the process of photosynthesis. It was also the residence of a supernatural malevolent deity known as The Lorax.

Death of the Valley
The death of the valley began with the cutting of the first tree, summoning the Lorax. The foliage of the truffula tree was prized for its soft and fibrous qualities, and could be woven into fine fabric products known as the Thneeds. The trees were also used for their trunks, which were used as fire wood and fuel for industrial machines. The Once-ler was instrumental in the death of the valley, as he was the one who instigated the mass farming and resource exhaustion of the truffula trees.

Historically the disaster has been attributed to irresponsible farming practices and mass pollution. The overfarming of the truffula tree vastly disrupted the ecosystem of the Truffula Valley, due to the lack of replanting and the long growth cycle of the plant itself. The trees were an essential part of forest life, as they helped purify water, provided clean air, and provided food for the forest-dwellers. The mass pollution was a result of the industrialized farming of the trufffula foliage. In order to satisfy the high demand of the Thneed market, the Once-ler developed multiple industrial farming techniques that boosted production immensely.

The process of truffula foliage separation and cleansing results in multiple waste products that can be harmful to the surrounding environment. A notable byproduct was a type of tar commonly known as "shloppity shlop" that was responsible for contaminating the rivers and making them hazardous for drinking and aquatic life. Additionally the over-reliance on burning truffula trunks and fossil fuels resulted in high levels of smog pollution. These environmental contaminants are forms of physical carcinogens and were reported to cause coronary cancer and respiratory cancer. They also predisposed affected creatures to a high risk of bacterial illnesses, such as cerebral meningitis.

The root system of the valley was greatly disturbed in this time. The mass chopping of truffula trees resulted in mass desertification and soil erosion due to increased water irrigation and extreme weather events. As a result of the mass ecological disruption, the valley was irreparably damaged. The soil was blackened and infertile due to tar and the atmospheric makeup was near-permanently altered.

The disaster approached its climax on July 23, 1909 when the Lorax sent the remaining inhabitants of the forest to a far away land so that they could find a better place to live. This event is known as the Truffula Trail of Tears. Subsequently, the Lorax ascended into the realm of the Gods, leaving humanity and the valley behind. The Lorax left only an engraving on a stone to remind the Once-ler of his failure. The valley remained in this desecrated state for nearly 60 years, with the Once-ler as its only inhabitant.

Rebirth of the Valley
The only attempt to restore the valley to its original state took place nearly 60 years into the disaster. It began when Ted Wiggins met an aged Once-ler, who was in possession of the last truffula seed. Using the last truffula seed, Ted Wiggins rallied support from the citizens of Thneedville to replant the seed in the center of town. However, these actions were not without backlash. Aloysius O'Hare, the town's mayor, was in extreme opposition to the movement. Photosynthesis renders the primary product of O'Hare Air obsolete. Aloysius attempted a major PR stunt that ended miserably with his forced deportation and resulted in a massive subversion and overthrow of the established government.

Ted Wiggins was successful in his quest to plant trees again. Eventually, life returned to the valley and the extreme environmental conditions were beginning to fade. The inhabitants of Thneedville passed several important pieces of legislation that prevented over farming and helped to protect against environmental crimes. The Lorax also returned after his 60 year departure from humanity.

Truffula Valley Wildfires
Although the healing of the valley was successfully started by the Green Party in Thneedville, the permanent repercussions caused other problems. The massive amounts of greenhouse gases pumped into the air during the rapid thneed production made the valley extremely susceptible to dry-fires. These problems, plus the lack of a real fire department, has caused the major damage and a loss of the majority of the Truffula valley.

Conspiracy Theories
The Truffula Valley Ecological Disaster has been the subject of many conspiracy theories in recent times. Most of them are concerned with the Lorax's involvement, or more so lack of involvement, in the easily preventable disaster. Many speculate that the Lorax did not fulfill his duty as the protector of the trees by stopping the Once-ler from ruining the Truffula Valley. This leads some people to believe that the Lorax was an incompetent protector, and a overall retard for not stopping the damage that came.