Over the past 15 years working and communicating with people globally, I have noticed a pattern; where trees are cut down and land has been cleared, erosion and drought soon follow.

I remember talking to a woman in Kansas where the area was in the midst of another major drought. Mother Nature was not conforming to “modern farming”. When it did rain, the soil was washed away due to the lack of vegetation. My first thought was “Why did they cut all the trees down and reshape the plains?”

A simple solution is to plant some trees and other vegetation to hold the soil before it becomes barren. Encourage Mother Nature to re-boot herself.

Its not rocket science; trees are the key to maintaining life. They keep the heat island effect down, retain ground water, create oxygen, and evaporate water into the atmosphere. Most importantly, they remove tons of carbon dioxide from the air.

Trees and Vegetation;

• Produce oxygen for us to breathe
• Are carbon sinks – clean the soil and clean the air – carbon offsets
• Act as windbreaks which shade, cool and control noise pollution
• Fight soil erosion and slow storm water runoff
• Regulate temperatures & humidity
• Food chain support, provide habitats, power and paper products
• Wildlife support
• Increase rainfall
• Reduce stress
• Forests protect water and improve the soil
• Reduce heating & cooling costs
• Increase property values and improve the tax base

Careful observation and meticulous records show that forests do affect rainfall, owing to their colder, moister air and the resistance to wind movement.

Air within a forest when sufficiently moist and sufficiently cool, will precipitate its moisture as rain. Warm, moist winds striking a mountain are forced up the incline and that air expands as it rises, are thereby cooled and so cause rainfall. Woods not only cool the air within their own borders but actually create breezes and ward off bad weather.

Native Trees and plants not only provide habitat for wildlife and add beauty and color to property. They also increase privacy and can reduce the amount of time, water and money you spend on lawn care.

To quote a 1902 report by U.S. Forester E.M. Griffith on Hawaiian forests status, “Forest protection means not only increasing the rainfall but, more important still, conserving the water supply. The future welfare and agricultural prosperity of the Hawaiian islands depends on the preservation of the forest.”

Being an avid gardener, I believe in living with nature. A piece of land can be augmented instead of cutting everything down and starting from scratch as most populations seem to do. But then, I hate the maintenance.

I want to play in the garden when I feel like it, not because it is needed. I utilize native, drought tolerant, hardy plants and trees that are not only beautiful, but, give back in the form of fruit, shelter for the wildlife that are attracted to my garden. By encouraging this symbiotic relationship between plantlife and wildlife, I am supplied with beneficial pest control, butterflies and animals to watch and so much more.

Check back for more benefits trees provide.