With the approach of Arbor Day, we should all have plans to plant a tree. To encourage you in this direction, I would like to recap some of the wonderful services trees offer.
(Note: If you do not have a yard or space to plant a tree, please keep reading — I’ll offer some ideas at the end of this article.)
One of the first benefits schoolchildren will cite when asked what trees do for us is supply oxygen. Trees, like other photosynthesizing plants, produce oxygen. To plants, oxygen is actually a by-product of food production (photosynthesis). It is our (and all animals) byproduct that plants need. A plants leaf, spread in the sun, obtains CO2 by diffusion. Oxygen is the by-product released back into the atmosphere also by diffusion. What an amazing interrelationship of systems!
Following are just a few other benefits, as compiled, by Kim Coder, Ph.D., Professor of Silvics/Ecology at the University of Georgia. This data was compiled from across the nation from a variety of individual research projects. The point they make is, as a whole, there is great value in trees, and not necessarily, that any one of these would be 100% relevant and true in individual circumstances.
Temperature and Energy Use
- Community heat islands (3 to 10°F warmer than surrounding countryside) exist because of decreased wind, increased high-density surfaces, and heat generated from human associated activities, all of which requires addition energy expenditures to offset. Trees can be successfully used to mitigate heat islands.
- Trees block winter winds and reduces “chill factor.”
- Trees can be planted to funnel or baffle wind away from areas — both vertical and horizontal concentrations of foliage can modify air movement patterns.
- A one-fifth acre house lot with 30% vegetation cover dissipates as much heat as running two central air conditioners.
Air Quality
- One acre of trees generates enough oxygen each day for 18 people.
- Community forests cleanse the air by intercepting and slowing particulate materials causing them to fall out, and by absorbing pollutant gases on surfaces and through uptake onto inner leaf surfaces.
- Pollen and mold spore, are part of a living system and produced in tree areas, but trees also sweep out of the air large amounts of these particulates.
Hydrology
- Development increases hard, non-evaporative surfaces and decreases soil infiltration — increases water volume, velocity and pollution load of run-off — increases water quality losses, erosion, and flooding.
- For every 5% of tree cover area added to a community, run-off is reduced by approximately 2 percent
- Community tree and forest cover intercepts, slows, evaporates, and stores water through normal tree functions, soil surface protection, and soil area of biologically active surfaces.
- 17% (11.3 million gallons) run-off reduction from a twelve-hour storm with tree canopies in a medium-sized city ($226,000 avoided run-off water control costs).
Noise Abatement
- 7db noise reduction per 100 feet of forest due to trees by reflecting and absorbing sound energy (solid walls decrease sound by 15 db)
- Trees provide “white noise,” the noise of the leaves and branches in the wind and associated natural sounds, that masks other man-caused sounds.
Animal Habitats
- Wildlife values are derived from aesthetic, recreation, and educational uses.
- Lowest bird diversity is in areas of mowed lawn — highest in area of large trees, greatest tree diversity, and brushy areas.
Economic Stability
- Tree amenity values are a part of real estate prices.
- 19% increase in property values with trees. (1971 & 1983)
Product Production
- Community trees and forests generate many traditional products for the cash and barter marketplace that include lumber, pulpwood, hobbyist woods, fruits, nuts, mulch, composting materials, firewood, and nursery plants.
Recreation
- $1.60 is the willing additional payment per visit for use of a tree-covered park compared with a maintained lawn area.
Health
- Hospital patients with natural views from their rooms had significantly shorter stays, less pain medicine required, and fewer post-operative complications.
- Prison inmates sought less health care if they had a view of a green landscape.
Human Social Interactions
- People feel more comfortable and at ease when in shaded, open areas of trees as compared to areas of hardscapes and non-living things.
This list could easily be double the length but I hope you get the point. Trees are Grrrr..eat! Whether at home, downtown, or in the woods they are on the job 24/7 in way that make a difference socially, economically and ecologically! So go plant a tree!
Now, if for some reason you do not think you have the resources to plant a tree, do not lose heart! You can still be involved in Arbor Day. Perhaps you can get involved with your school or a local citizen group to organize an event around Arbor Day. Alternatively, you might be able to find other property, public or private for which you could get permission to plant a tree.
This does not have to be an expensive endeavor either. While many people like to plant big trees, they are expensive, more difficult to handle and are actually more difficult to keep alive and healthy the first few years. Purchase a small tree, plant it well and make sure it will not be run over and you have done just as grand a deed as planting a large tree.
To make sure the planting is done properly, refer to Virginia Cooperative Extension Tree & Shrub Planting Guidelines on-line.
Adam Downing is a faculty member of Virginia Tech, who has worked as the Natural Resources Extension Agent serving Virginia Cooperative Extension’s Northern District, a 19 county area generally described as the Northern Piedmont of Virginia. His professional expertise is in providing informal education regarding forestry and natural resources to address current issues in rural, urban, and rural/urban interface areas to home & landowners, professionals, decision-makers, and the general public. His mission is to enable people to make best decisions regarding the forest & natural resources, within their realm of influence, resulting in environmentally sustainable management, growth, and quality of life for that person and that community.
