Reasons / Benefits to Save Trees

Top 22 Benefits of Trees

Here are 22 of the best reasons to plant and care for trees or defend a tree’s standing:

Trees combat the greenhouse effect

Global warming is the result of excess greenhouse gases, created by burning fossil fuels and destroying tropical rain forests. Heat from the sun, reflected back from the earth, is trapped in this thickening layer of gases, causing global temperatures to rise. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a major greenhouse gas. Trees absorb CO2, removing and storing the carbon while releasing the oxygen back into the air. In one year, an acre of mature trees absorbs the 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 provide oxygen

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

Trees cool the streets and the city

Average temperatures in Los Angeles have risen 6°F in the last 50 years as tree coverage has declined and the number of heat-absorbing roads and buildings has increased.

Trees cool the 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 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.

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 stormwater 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

On hillsides or stream slopes, trees slow runoff and hold soil in place.

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 provide food

An apple tree can yield up to 15-20 bushels of fruit per year and can be planted on the tiniest urban lot. Aside from fruit for humans, trees provide food for birds and wildlife.

Trees heal

Studies have shown that patients with views of trees out their windows heal faster and with less complications. Children with ADHD show fewer symptoms when they have access to nature. Exposure to trees and nature aids concentration by reducing mental fatigue.

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 mark the seasons

Is it winter, spring, summer or fall? Look at the trees.

Trees create economic opportunities

Fruit harvested from community orchards can be sold, thus providing income. Small business opportunities in green waste management and landscaping arise when cities value mulching and its water-saving qualities. Vocational training for youth interested in green jobs is also a great way to develop economic opportunities from trees.

Trees are teachers and playmates

Whether as houses for children or creative and spiritual inspiration for adults, trees have provided the space for human retreat throughout the ages. 

Trees bring diverse groups of people together

Tree plantings provide an opportunity for community involvement and empowerment that improves the quality of life in our neighborhoods. All cultures, ages, and genders have an important role to play at a tree planting or tree care event.

Trees add unity

Trees as landmarks can give a neighborhood a new identity and encourage civic pride.

Trees provide a canopy and habitat for wildlife

Sycamore and oak are among the many urban species that provide excellent urban homes for birds, bees, possums and squirrels.

Trees block things

Trees can mask concrete walls or parking lots, and unsightly views. They muffle sound from nearby streets and freeways, and create an eye-soothing canopy of green. Trees absorb dust and wind and reduce glare.

Trees provide wood

In suburban and rural areas, trees can be selectively harvested for fuel and craft wood.

Trees increase property values

The beauty of a well-planted property and its surrounding street and neighborhood can raise property values by as much as 15 percent.

Trees increase business traffic

Studies show that 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.

source: http://www.treepeople.org/top-22-benefits-trees
/www.treepeople.org

How to Save a Tree

The forest cover on our planet Earth has been rapidly depleting over the past few years as a result of increased use of wood, paper and paper products in our lives. If we know how to save a tree we can take steps to reduce our carbon footprint and thus reduce the effects of global warming on our planet, which have been caused due to deforestation. Afforestation is beneficial to our planet’s climate as it is a well known fact that trees take up carbon from the atmosphere and increase cloud formation, which in turn cools the planet.

Before we look at the different steps we need to take to save tress, we should first know why it is so important to save trees. Here are a few reasons:

• A single mature tree produces enough oxygen that is required by 10 adults for a period of one year.
• Trees provide shade and cool and thus reduce the need for fans, coolers and ACs in summer and provide protection from strong winds in winter.
• Trees also help in cleaning the air of dust particles, reduce the heat and absorb harmful pollutants in the air such as nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide and sulfur dioxide.
• Trees are also effective in fighting soil erosion, conserving rainwater and reducing sediment deposits and water runoff after storms.
• People living in areas with heavy green cover are known to suffer from fewer respiratory problems.
• Trees act as natural sound barriers and muffle urban sounds caused due to vehicular traffic and other noise in crowded areas such as railway stations, bus stations, markets etc.

Now, we shall look at the various measures that need to be taken to save trees on our planet. Follow these simple tips listed below:

• Reduce the consumption of products made from trees such as paper and paper products at your home and also in schools, colleges and offices.
• Provide alternate fuel options in rural areas for cooking, such as biogas, for reducing deforestation.
• Recycle smartly by categorizing your garbage and putting paper and cardboard rubbish in a separate dustbin for recycling later.
• Borrow books and magazines from your local library instead of buying new ones.
• At your workplace, try to minimize the use of paper by printing only those documents that are absolutely necessary. Even then ensure that you print both sides of the paper.
• As far as possible, use e-mails for communicating with your colleagues, seniors and also with your clients.
• Reuse paper bags, envelopes and take torn bank receipts or shopping receipts, which you no longer require, for recycling.
• Use recycled paper in the form of notebooks or diaries as far as possible.
• Opt for online payment of all your electricity, water, telephone and other bills. It not only saves paper, but also saves time that you would have otherwise spent in standing in a queue.
• You can also ask your bank not to post account statements to your home; you can check them online too.
• Schools and colleges can also offer online admission of students instead of paper forms for admissions and entrance examinations.
• The mode of examinations can also be changed to computer exams, which would help save a lot of paper, which in turn saves trees.
• Create awareness among people about the advantages of planting more trees and saving the existing ones and educate them about the importance of trees for our survival on this planet.

Always remember that it only takes one second to ruin and waste a sheet of paper, but it takes almost a decade for a tree to grow fully. Therefore, you need to be aware of the consequences of your actions and take initiative to save trees.

credit/source: http://www.howany.com/how-to-save-a-tree/