PLANT MORE TREES

WHY TO PLANT TREES

Why you should plant trees! Here are some reasons why cities need more trees:

TREES COOL THE STREETS AND THE CITY

Trees cool a city by up to 10°F, by shading our homes and streets, breaking up urban “heat islands” and releasing water vapor into the air through their leaves. Trees lower air temperatures and humidity; they can also influence wind speed. Evaporation of water from trees, or transpiration, has a cooling effect. Cities develop “heat islands” because dark roofs and pavement absorb solar energy and radiate it back. Trees in parking lots have been shown to reduce asphalt temperatures by 36 degrees Fahrenheit and car interiors by up to 47 degrees Fahrenheit.

TREES ARE GOOD FOR THE ECONOMY & INCREASE PROPERTY VALUES

Economic analyses have found that the value of homes near trees is 9 to 15 percent higher than homes without. Research shows that shoppers linger longer along a shaded avenue than one barren of trees and are even willing to pay more for goods and services. The more trees and landscaping a business district has, the more business will flow in. A tree-lined street will also slow traffic – enough to allow the drivers to look at the store fronts instead of whizzing by.

TREES REDUCE VIOLENCE

Neighborhoods and homes that are barren have shown to have a greater incidence of violence in and out of the home than their greener counterparts. Trees and landscaping help to reduce the level of fear.

TREES COMBAT CLIMATE CHANGE

Excess carbon dioxide (CO2) is building up in our atmosphere, contributing to climate change. Trees absorb CO2, removing and storing the carbon while releasing oxygen back into the air. In one year, an acre of mature trees absorbs the same amount of CO2 produced when you drive your car 26,000 miles.

TREES CLEAN THE AIR

Trees absorb odors and pollutant gases (nitrogen oxides, ammonia, sulfur dioxide and ozone) and filter particulates out of the air by trapping them on their leaves and bark. Trees are sometimes called the lungs of the Earth because they absorb pollutants through their leaves, trapping (or “sequestering”), and filtering contaminants in the air. Like all green plants, trees also produce oxygen through photosynthesis.

TREES PROVIDE OXYGEN

In one year an acre of mature trees can provide enough oxygen for 18 people.

TREES CONSERVE ENERGY

Three trees placed strategically around a single-family home can cut summer air conditioning needs by up to 50 percent. By reducing the energy demand for cooling our houses, we reduce carbon dioxide and other pollution emissions from power plants. Deciduous trees are best for this use because they lose their leaves in winter, exposing the house to the warming winter sun, which lowers the energy needed to heat the house. Coniferous trees, because they retain their needles year-round, serve to reduce wind when placed on the north and northwest sides of a building, resulting in significantly lower winter heating costs.

TREES SAVE WATER

Shade from trees slows water evaporation from thirsty lawns. Most newly planted trees need only fifteen gallons of water a week. As trees transpire, they increase atmospheric moisture.

TREES HELP PREVENT WATER POLLUTION

Trees reduce runoff by breaking rainfall thus allowing the water to flow down the trunk and into the earth below the tree. This prevents storm-water from carrying pollutants to the ocean. When mulched, trees act like a sponge that filters this water naturally and uses it to recharge groundwater supplies. 

TREES HELP PREVENT SOIL EROSION AND FLOODING

On slopes, trees slow runoff and hold soil in place. A tree’s leafy canopy catches precipitation before it reaches the ground, allowing some of it to gently drip and the rest to evaporate. Tree roots hold soil in place, reducing erosion. In these ways, trees lessen the force of storms and reduce the amount of runoff into sewers, streams, and rivers, improving water quality. One hundred mature trees can intercept about 100,000 gallons of rainfall per year.

The average bathtub holds 100 gallons of water.

The Sweetbay Magnolia can drink over 200 gallons a day (= two bathtubs)

The Bald Cypress can drink over 880 gallons per day, more than 8 bathtubs

A Live Oak can drink over 1,000 gallons in a single day

TREES SHIELD CHILDREN FROM ULTRA-VIOLET RAYS

Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States. Trees reduce UV-B exposure by about 50 percent, thus providing protection to children on school campuses and playgrounds - where children spend hours outdoors.

TREES IMPROVE HEALTH - PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PHYSICAL

Research demonstrates that exposure to trees has a relaxing effect on humans, reducing stress and imparting a sense of well-being. Hospital patients with a window view of trees recover faster than those without. Children with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) are better able to concentrate after time spent in outdoor green settings. Studies have proven what we instinctively know to be true: that human beings are significantly happier when surrounded by nature rather than sterile urban environments. Our emotions, behaviour, and thoughts are shaped by the places we spend time — and trees have a profoundly positive effect on our psychology. The consequential benefits of being happier and more peaceful — as individuals and as a society — are immense.

Beyond all the other ways in which trees improve air quality and the urban environment, much to the benefit of our health, they also encourage people to go outside. Cycling, running, and walking are all more common in urban areas with plenty of trees. A knock-on effect of people spending more time outdoors is also social integration and stronger communities.

TREES ABSORB POLLUTION VIA PHYTHOREMEDIATION

When it comes to ridding the earth of pollution leaking from dumps, closed landfills, and other waste sites, specific types of trees are quietly and efficiently absorbing the toxins.

Through a process known as phytoremediation, green plants are used to remove, degrade, or stabilize pollutants and contaminants, such as toxic metals, from soil or groundwater. The practice of using trees as waste cleanup tools has been around for many decades and its early promise as a low-cost alternative to other cleanup methods has borne out. (https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2019/08/30/trees-can-do-dirty-work-waste-cleanup)

TREES REDUCE NOISE POLLUTION / REDUCE LIGHT POLLUTION / CAN SERVE AS SCREENS

Trees can mask concrete walls or parking lots, and unsightly views. They muffle sound from nearby streets and traffic congestion, and create an eye-soothing canopy of green. Trees absorb dust and wind and reduce glare. Trees don't only block the light shining down, therefore keeping us and our cities cooler — they also disrupt light shining up, from street lighting, cars, houses, and billboards. Skies are clearer in cities with more trees. Also, a simple point, but not inconsequential, is that trees provide privacy.

TREES PROMOTE COMMUNITY

By planting trees in the urban environment we can help restore the natural cycle of plant growth, reproduction and decomposition. Trees can enhance a community’s sense of pride, and ownership. Active involvement in tree planting programs leads to a stronger sense of community and the promotion of environmental responsibility and ethics. Planting programs also project a visible sign of change and provide the impetus for other community renewal and action programs.