Trees provide numerous environmental, economic, and social benefits. They absorb carbon dioxide and other pollutants, producing oxygen. Trees help cool areas and conserve energy by providing shade. They also absorb stormwater runoff and prevent soil erosion. Beyond these practical benefits, trees have been shown to improve mental and physical health. By planting and caring for trees, communities can realize cost savings, increased property values, and a higher quality of life.

1. TREES- a green future!

2. Here are 22 of the best reasons to plant and care for trees or defend a tree’s
standing:
Trees combat climate change
Excess carbon dioxide (CO2) caused by many factors is a building up in our atmosphere and contributing to climate change. Trees
absorb CO2, removing and storing the carbon while releasing the oxygen back into the air. In one year, an acre of mature tree s
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 gallo ns 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. Th is
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.

3. 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

4. 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.
Public Health and Social Benefits
Air Cleaning: Trees produce oxygen, intercept airborne particulates, and
reduce smog, enhancing a community’s respiratory health.
 The urban canopy directly contributes to meeting a city’s regulatory clean air
requirements.
 Access to trees, green spaces, and parks promotes greater physical activity,
and reduces stress, while improving the quality of life in our cities and towns.

5.  Urban landscaping, including trees, helps lower crime rates.
 Studies show that urban vegetation slows heartbeats, lowers blood pressure,
and relaxes brain wave patterns.
 Girls with a view of nature and trees at home score higher on tests of self-
discipline.
Environmental Benefits
Climate change: Trees sequester carbon (CO2), reducing the overall
concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Read more here.
Energy conservation:
 A tree is a natural air conditioner. The evaporation from a single tree can
produce the cooling effect of ten room-size, residential air conditioners
operating 20 hours a day.
 Acting as a natural air-conditioner, Palo Alto’s lush canopy ensures that
summer temperatures are at least 6 to 8 degrees lower than in comparable
neighborhoods without trees.
 Tree windbreaks can reduce residential heating costs 10-15%; while
shading and evaporative cooling from trees can cut residential air-
conditioning costs 20-50%.
Water filtration and retention: Urban forests promote beneficial water
quality and reduce storm water management costs.
 Palo Alto street and park trees can intercept 135 million gallons of
rainwater. Trees capture and slow rainfall and their roots filter water and
recharge the aquifer. Trees reduce storm water runoff, which reduces
flooding, saves city storm water management costs, decreases the flow of
polluted water into the Bay, and protects the banks of the San Francisquito
Creek.
Wildlife habitat: Trees provide important habitats for numerous bird, insect
and animal species.
Economic Benefits
Communities and business districts with healthy tree-cover attract new
residents, industry, and commercial activity.
 Homes landscaped with trees sell more quickly and are worth 5% to 15%
more than homes without trees.
 Where the entire street is tree-lined, homes may be worth 25% more.
 Trees enhance economic stability by attracting businesses; people linger
and shop longer when trees are present.

6.  Where a canopy of trees exists, apartments and offices rent more quickly
and have a higher occupancy rate; workers report more productivity and
less absenteeism.
Even MORE Tree Benefits
 Trees provide inviting and cool areas for recreation and relaxation
such as playgrounds and parks.
 Trees create a tapestry of color and interesting form that changes
throughout the year.
 The color green is calming and relieves eye strain.
 Trees screen unattractive views and soften the harsh outline of
masonry, metal, asphalt, steel and glass.
 People walk and jog more on shaded streets, which encourages
interaction with neighbors and improves the sense of community.
 Trees absorb and block sound, reducing noise pollution by as much as
40 percent.

8. Harms of deforestation
Forests are more than just a collection of trees—they are integrated ecosystems and home to some of the
most diverse life on Earth. They are also major players in the carbon and water cycles that make life
possible. When forests are lost or degraded, their destruction sets off a series of changes that affect life both
locally and around the world.
REDUCED BIODIVERSITY
About 80% of the world’s documented species can be found in tropical rainforests—some of the forests most
vulnerable to deforestation. When species lose their forest homes, they are often unable to subsistin the
small fragments of forested land left behind. They become more accessible to hunters and poachers, their
numbers begin to dwindle and some eventually go extinct. Even localized deforestation can result in
extinctions as many unique species exist in small isolated geographic locations in the world.
INCREASED GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS
Forests help to mitigate carbondioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions, but they becomecarbon sources
when they are cut, burned or otherwise removed. Tropical forests hold more than 210 gigatons of carbon,
and deforestation represents around 15% of greenhouse gas emissions. These greenhouse gas emissions
contribute to rising temperatures, changes in patterns of weather and water and an increased frequency of
extreme weather events. Forexample, in Sumatra, rainforests on deep peatlands are being cleared, drained
and converted to pulp plantations, contributing to Indonesia’s high greenhouse gas emissions. Changes in
climate can affect forest-dwelling creatures by altering their habitats and decreasing availability of food and
water. Some will be able to adapt by moving to higher elevations or latitudes, but species losses may occur.
DISRUPTION OF WATER CYCLES
Trees play a key role in the local water cycle by helping to keep a balance between the water on land and
water in the atmosphere. But when deforestation or degradation occurs, that balance can be thrown off,
resulting in changes in precipitation and river flow.
INCREASED SOIL EROSION
Soil erosion in Africa.

9. Without trees to anchor fertile soil, erosion can occurand sweep the land into rivers. The agricultural plants
that often replace the trees cannot hold onto the soil. Many of these plants—such as coffee, cotton, palm oil,
soybean and wheat—can actually exacerbate soil erosion. Scientists have estimated that a third of the
world’s arable land has been lost through soil erosion and other types of degradation since 1960. And as
fertile soil washes away, agricultural producers move on, clearing more forest and continuing the cycle of
soil loss.