Human activities are producing more and more carbon dioxide, causing our planet to warm. BUT trees absorb carbon dioxide and store it in their wood, leaves and roots. Is that it?… DEFINITELY NOT! TREES DO SO MUCH MORE:
- Trees are excellent sources of pollen and nectar for struggling insects and birds, also providing food and shelter. An oak tree can support over 280 species of insect, a common hawthorn around 300!
- Trees filter our air. Their leaves absorb large amounts of pollution from many sources including vehicles, enabling us to breathe cleaner, pollutant-free air. A row of trees in front of your home can reduce pollution in your front rooms by up to 60% (Lancaster University research). This may protect us from many serious diseases, such as heart and lung disease, and cancer. In a tree-lined road, you are 7x less likely to develop asthma. Trees also give out oxygen, which is why forests are called the lungs of the planet. Even one tree reduces pollution around it by 25%!
- Trees filter pollutants out of groundwater, instead of allowing that pollution to run into the rivers.
- Trees provide shade, keeping us cooler. Tree shade is an important contributor to health. It helps to reduce the exposure to damaging UV rays which may lead to skin cancer or sight damage. This shade is ever more vital as summers get hotter. Children’s skins are the most vulnerable to UV damage, so playgrounds, picnic seating, and school play areas need trees. Also, trees absorb water from the soil, releasing some of it as vapor through their leaves, (on a hot day, a big tree may release up to a hundred gallons of it), leading to significantly cooler air beneath and around any tree.
- Trees reduce heatwave effects. With climate change creeping up fast, we are experiencing much hotter summers and more heatwaves. This can only get worse. Urban areas suffer more because of heat which is held in pavements, buildings, and roads; this is slowly released, causing the air to heat up about 30% more than in rural areas. Heatwaves are one of the most dangerous of natural hazards, but this threat is often overlooked. However, the death toll can be high. Excessive heat contributes to heat exhaustion, heart attacks, and respiratory problems. 80% of us live in urban areas…planting trees is becoming ever more critical to keep us all cool. Ask your council to plant street trees and offer to water them whilst young. The medical journal, The Lancet, conducted a study into deaths from heatwaves, and concluded that 1 in 3 of those deaths could have been prevented if trees had covered around 30% of urban space.
- Trees slow the speed that rain hits the ground; by interrupting the rainfall with their canopy. They also make the ground more water absorbent as their roots push through the soil. This means that more rainfall can be absorbed into the ground rather than overwhelming the drains and leading to flooding.
PLANT A TREE, however small, to benefit yourself, your family and OUR PLANET!
Article by Kate Southworth
