Planting a tree on your property or in your neighborhood is a fun activity that can have surprising social and economic benefits. According to the EPA, planting trees wisely around buildings and homes can save energy costs by shading and cooling interiors during the summer and blocking cold winds in the wintertime. Trees can also work wonders by increasing the overall beauty of your surroundings adding to your property value. The USDA Forest Service estimates that the presence of strong, mature trees can increase your overall property value by 10%. Trees benefit our health by improving air quality; just one fully-grown tree can emit enough oxygen to provide for two human beings while absorbing carbon dioxide at a speed of 48 pounds per year. At that rate, it would take over 40 trees one year to offset the carbon emissions of one cross-country road trip in a 2008 Honda Accord. So we have a lot of planting to do.
Simply, trees make us feel good. Numerous studies have shown that having trees around can reduce stress and inspire feelings of serenity and peace in our hectic modern lifestyles. These are just a few of the countless advantages of planting trees. There are many resources and organizations that can help you figure out what tree is best for your climate, and planting tips and directions. All it takes is one tree to make a difference, saving money, providing beauty and comfort, and contributing to the overall health of our planet.
Take Action / Next Steps
Celebrate Arbor Day! April 24th only comes once a year, but the Arbor Day Foundation works year-round to promote the care of trees. Check out this guide to help figure out what kind of tree is right for planting in your area at rbor Day Foundation website .
Calculate how much energy you can save through planting trees using the American Public Power Association’s Tree Benefits Estimator.
Did you know that trees are natural water purifiers?
The Arbor Day
Foundation says that trees considerably improve water quality by constantly refreshing the ground water stores, thus blocking
the transport of sediment and chemicals and preventing runoff and erosion. Additionally, airborne pollutants abated by trees
include nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxides, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, ozone, and other small particulates. The trees in
one urban park have been shown to remove 48 pounds of these particulates from the air per day!
Did you know that if every American family planted just one tree, a billion pounds of carbon dioxide would be
absorbed from Earth’s atmosphere each year?
According to the Colorado Trees
Coalition, this amount represents about 5% of the carbon dioxide that humans produce each year. Every bit helps, though, and
these extra trees combined with other efforts to curb carbon production could significantly diminish the effects of global
warming.
2. Coder, Dr. Rim D. [October 1996] “Identified Benefits of Community Trees and Forests.” University of Georgia. Available from: http://www.treelink.org/linx/?navSubCatRef=56 [11 July 2008]
