Photo Credit: Linda Langelo
Trees are more than just plants that provide shade and take in carbon dioxide (CO2) and release oxygen (O2) into the air. Trees serve people in a much broader capacity.
Environmental Benefits
In cities there are “heat islands,” where the temperature can be more than 10 degrees warmer than in the surrounding environment. Trees reduce this temperature through transpiration, by which plants absorb water through the roots and then give off water vapor through pores in their leaves. As for reducing CO2, a healthy tree can absorb 40 pounds of CO2 from the air annually. Once a tree dies, the carbon that is stored in the tree is not released into the atmosphere. Therefore, cultivating and producing more trees for wood products over steel and other metals keeps a significant amount of CO2 sequestered, according to Rachel Lang, Program Coordinator for Project Learning Tree.
Properly planting trees around homes and businesses also indirectly continues to reduce CO2 and lower energy costs. In fact, the reduction in energy costs can be as much as 30 percent. Having parks throughout major cities and towns helps provide places where the tree canopy lowers the air temperature by six to eight degrees, according to the University of Washington.