At Thanksgiving, give thanks for trees

November brings us the Thanksgiving holiday, a time to reflect on our blessings and to give thanks to our God and others in our lives. Most of us take many of our blessings for granted, including yours truly. However, there are some things which add numerous benefits to our lives which we either take for granted or are unaware of their contribution to our lives. As an arborist, I am, of course, referring to trees.

We have trees in our yards, along our streets, in parking lots, at places of business and worship and in parks and other public places. In the summer, we seek out their shade for parking or resting, in the fall, many people travel to the northeast to enjoy the colors, and in the spring, we enjoy the newly emerged greenery and flowers. Yes, most of us appreciate trees for their shade and beauty but few of us realize the many other benefits we derive from trees. Below are some facts and figures.

·         Trees are natural air conditioners — the evaporation from a single tree can equal the cooling effect of ten room size air conditioners operating 20 hours a day.

·         Trees cool our cities by up to 10 degrees by shading our homes and streets, releasing water vapor into the air (as above), and breaking up urban heat islands (large areas of pavement or reflected heat from buildings).

·         Trees placed strategically around homes and office buildings can reduce summer air conditioning needs by up to 50 percent.

·         Trees clean the air by absorbing odors and pollutant gases and by filtering particulate matter out of the air.

·         Trees provide oxygen — in one year, an acre of mature trees can provide enough oxygen for 18 people.

·         Carbon sequestration — trees utilize carbon dioxide in their photosynthetic process of making their own food. As a result, trees remove and store carbon dioxide. That same acre of trees can store 2.6 tons of carbon each year. In one year, an acre of mature trees absorbs the equivalent amount of carbon dioxide of driving your car 26,000 miles.

·         The American Forestry Association estimates that 100 million new trees would absorb 18 million tons of carbon dioxide and reduce US air conditioning costs by $4 billion annually.

·         Hospital patients have been shown to recover more quickly when their hospital room offered a view of trees. They also had fewer complaints, took fewer painkillers and left the hospital sooner.

·         Property values of homes are 5 to 15 percent higher than those without landscape trees and homes with trees sell more quickly than those without.

·         n Apartments and offices in wooded areas are known to rent more quickly and have a higher occupancy rate. Workers in offices in wooded areas report more productivity and less absenteeism.

·         Evergreen trees can serve as a windbreak and reduce the loss of heat from the home in winter by 10 to 50 percent. Of course, this is much more significant in colder climates than here in Florida.

·         A strip of trees 100 feet wide and 45 feet high can reduce highway noise by up to 50 percent. Less noise results in reduced irritability and aggressive behavior and lower stress levels.

·         Trees provide food and shelter for a variety of birds and other animals such as squirrels.

·         Trees reduce urban water runoff by absorbing water through their roots and interrupting the impact of rainfall with their canopy.

The above is not even a complete list. I can go on, but space does not allow for me to do so. But the next time you breathe clean air, enjoy the summer shade, or listen to the sound of songbirds, thank a tree!

Source: /chronicleonline.com/