June/July
2004
Twenty-Nine Reasons
for Planting Trees
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The following list was compiled from various sources by Glenn Roloff,
USDA Forest Service, Northern Region, Missoula, Montana, and is reprinted
from: www.treelink.org/docs/29_reasons.phtml.
1. Alleviating the “Greenhouse Effect,”
trees act as carbon “sinks.”
• 1 acre of new forest will sequester about 2.5 tons of carbon
annually. Trees can absorb CO2 at the rate of 13 pounds/tree/year.
Trees reach their most productive stage of carbon storage at about 10 years.
• In its “Reforesting the Earth” paper, the Worldwatch
Institute estimated that our planet needs at least 321 million acres
of trees planted just to restore and maintain the productivity of soil
and water resources, meet industrial and fuel-wood needs in the third
world, and annually remove from the atmosphere roughly 780 million tons
of carbon as the trees grow. This represents about 25 percent of the
2.9 billion tons of carbon currently going into the earth’s atmosphere.
• Planting 100 million trees could reduce the amount of carbon
by an estimated 18 million tons per year and at the same time, save
American consumers $4 billion each year on utility bills.
• For every ton of new wood that grows, about 1.5 tons of CO2
are removed from the air and 1.07 tons of life-giving oxygen are produced.
During a 50 year life-span, one tree will generate $30,000 in oxygen,
recycle $35,000 worth of water, and clean up $60,000 worth of air pollution—$125,000
total per tree without including any other values!
2. Trees prevent or reduce soil erosion and water
pollution.
3. Help recharge groundwater and sustains streamflow.
4. Properly placed screens of trees and shrubs significantly
decrease noise pollution along busy thoroughfares and intersections.
5. Screen unsightly views.
6. Soften harsh outlines of buildings.
7. Provide fuelwood for stoves and fireplaces by establishing
energy plantations of hybrid poplars and other fast-growing species
and managed on a sustained yield basis for a continuous supply of fuelwood.
8. Properly managed forests provide lumber, plywood
and other wood products on a sustained yield basis.
9. Depending on location, species, size, and condition,
shade from trees can reduce utility bills for air conditioning in residential
and commercial buildings by 15 to 50 percent. Trees, through their
shade
and transpiration, provide natural “low-tech” cooling that
means less need to build additional dams, power plants, and nuclear
generators.
10. Windbreaks around homes shield against wind and
snow and can reduce heating costs by as much as 30 percent.
11. Shade from trees cools hot streets and parking
lots. Cities are “heat islands” that are 5 to 9 degrees
hotter than surrounding areas. And cities spread each year.
12. Trees and shrubs properly placed and cared for
on a residential or commercial lot can significantly increase property
values.
13. Numerous research studies conducted in the Great
Plains States have found that properly placed and cared-for field windbreaks
will significantly increase crop yields compared to fields with no windbreaks,
even after taking into account the space occupied by the trees. Windbreaks
create a more favorable micro-climate for cropland by reducing wind
and heat stress on the crop, while at the same time preventing topsoil
loss and reducing soil moisture losses. During the winter, more moisture
is available for use later in the year since windbreaks trap and accumulate
snow that, without windbreaks, would have blown over and past the cropland
and end up on roads and other breaks in topography.
14. Farmstead windbreaks have many values including
reduction of utility bills for cooling and heating, snow entrapment,
wind reduction, aesthetics, and wildlife habitat.
15. Trees also provide fruit, nutmeats (walnuts, pecans,
hickory), berries for jams and jellies (chokecherry and buffaloberry)
and maple syrup.
16. Tree shelters for livestock effectively reduce
weight losses during cold winter months and provide shade for moderating
summer heat.
17. Living snowfences, strategically placed, hold snow
away from roads, thus effectively reducing road maintenance costs and
keeping roads open.
18. Trees add beauty and grace to any community setting.
They make life more enjoyable, peaceful, relaxing, and offer a rich
inheritance for future generations.
19. Tropical forests, in addition to their value for
winter range for migratory birds, wood products, etc., are extremely
valuable for healing purposes. One of every four pharmaceutical products
used in the U.S. comes from a plant found in a tropical forest. However,
the majority of tropical plants have not yet even been scientifically
screened to discover what healing powers they may offer.
20. Likewise, substances found in native trees in
the U.S. are used both for pharmaceutical and other medical purposes.
The most recent example is the Pacific yew tree found in the coastal
regions of southeastern Alaska, British Columbia, Washington, Oregon,
and northern California and inland areas of northern Idaho and western
Montana. Experiments conducted at the National Cancer Institute for
the past 10 years have shown that taxol, a drug extracted from the
bark
of the Pacific yew, is effective in treating cancer. One of the Institute’s
chemists stated recently, “We have found taxol to be the most
effective product in curing ovarian cancer. So far, 30 percent of our
patients have had a total remission or cure.” The USDA Forest
Service is now cooperating with the Institute by inventorying areas
in the States mentioned earlier. Cuttings from those areas were taken
last fall, shipped to several Forest Service nurseries, and are now
starting to grow in their greenhouses. The National Cancer Institute
is conducting tests on this plant material to determine which individual
yew trees will produce the highest volume of taxol. After selections
are made, plantations of these high-yielding trees will be grown for
future use in fighting cancer.
21. Trees give people a multitude of recreational
opportunities and provide habitat for wildlife.
22. Trees along rivers, streams, and lakes reduce
water temperatures by their shade, prevent or reduce bank erosion and
silt, and improve the habitats of fish.
23. They provide brilliant colors to landscapes in
the fall. After the leaves drop to the ground and are raked, they provide
excellent mulch for flowerbeds and gardens—as well as exercise
for people!
24. Research indicates that trees help reduce stress
in the workplace and speed recovery of hospital patients.
25. Police officers believe that trees and landscaping
can instill community pride and help cool tempers that sometimes erupt
during “long, hot summers.”
26. Trees help us experience connections with our natural
heritage and with our most deeply held spiritual and cultural values.
27. Trees are valuable as commemoratives of deceased
loved ones and for passing on something of value to future generations.
28. A tribe of South American Indians believes that
the trees of the forest hold up the sky. According to the legend, the
fall of trees will precipitate the downfall of the Earth.
29. Finally, many people enjoy planting and caring
for trees simply because they like to see them grow.
Visit www.treelink.org,
a network for urban and community forestry efforts.
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