Most everyone is familiar with Joyce Kilmer’s poetic line:
“I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.”
What makes trees so lovely? They tower over our landscape with their leafy, needled and willowy beauty; mark the cycle of the seasons from stark nakedness to riotous colors; and serve as symbols of strength and flexibility. We know trees are good for the earth, but do we really know why?
Here are some reasons behind the awesomeness of trees. Let me know if this doesn’t make you want to hug one or plant one — which you can do at the end of this post!
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Trees Conserve Energy and Water.
Placed strategically, trees provide shade to homes and office buildings, either reducing the need for air conditioners or cutting AC costs by 15-35%. Trees planted in cities help combat the “heat islands” of unending asphalt and concrete. In winter, they can lower your heating bills by protecting homes from cold winds. Trees also protect the grass and plants beneath them because their shade reduces water evaporation (meaning you need to water the plants less).
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Trees Provide Food.
Apples, peaches, pears, nuts, figs and more. Food for humans and food for animals who use trees as habitat. You only need to plant a fruit or nut tree once, yet it provides an annual harvest. Find out what fruit trees grow in your zone.
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Trees Provide Shelter.
From the playful shelter of a treehouse for young kids to the regular home of a woodpecker or owl, trees are habitat to a variety of wildlife. Even dead trees (or snags) serve a purpose as home and nutrient source to raptors, squirrels, bats and raccoons.
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Trees Prevent Erosion.
Their roots stabilize soil that might otherwise be lost in floods and windstorms. The above-ground growth also protects the soil from direct rain. Trees also reduce runoff of pollutants into our local waterways. Isn’t it amazing where some trees can grow?
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Trees Increase Property Value.
People like homes sheltered by trees. They mark the seasons with change of color and add beauty to the land. Planting one (particularly on the sunny southern or western sides) can increase your property value anywhere from 15-20%.
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Trees Have Healing Value.
Studies show: patients with a tree view heal faster than those who do not; a person’s well-being is affected by her proximity to parks and tree-lined neighborhoods; and landscapes with trees lower stress levels, ADHD and diseases. Many kinds of trees (elm, apple, elder, cedar, beech) offer medicinal value from the properties in their leaves and bark. They can be used to help heal all manner of wounds, burns, fevers, rashes and diseases.
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Trees Clean the Air.
Probably what they are best known for, trees absorb dust, pollen and pollutants, and they remove CO2 from the air, which is a huge step toward reducing climate change. Trees provide us with oxygen so we can breathe. ‘Nuff said.
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Trees Make Great Gifts.
They grow, they last, they provide benefits to the recipient. On a larger scale, gifted trees are helping to combat climate change around the world.
Here’s how you can gift a tree this holiday season: Green is Universal is running a holiday social media campaign called GIFTATREE. For every GIF generated and shared (with the #GIFtATree hashtag) before the end of December, the Arbor Day Foundation will plant one real tree in a state park or national forest. The campaign is being funded by a $25,000 donation from NBCUniversal.
Use the GIFTATREE program to easily create an animated GIF of a tree. Then share the image on your social media channels with #GIFtATree. That’s it! Here’s my GIF of a Douglas Fir. Have fun!
