Planting trees is a great way to enhance your garden while also doing your part to protect the environment. Having trees in your yard can even improve your quality of life. They beautify the landscape, provide shade from the sun, produce oxygen, supply fruit and nuts and invite essential bees and birds to our property. These beautiful shade producers play a vital role in our ecosystem and provide significant benefits to the environment that may surprise you.
Purify the Air Around Us
Trees continually purify the air around us. They absorb harmful pollutants from the atmosphere through their pore-like stomata and filter these chemicals out of the air. Trees also effectively absorb odors and filter these odiferous particles by trapping them in their leaves. Throughout this process, trees continually release life-giving oxygen into our atmosphere.
Prevent Water Pollution
Stormwater is often loaded with phosphorous and nitrogen-rich pollutants. Trees are essential for filtering out these toxins before they can flow into oceans, rivers, and streams. Additionally, trees break the rainfall and allow water to enter the Earth and seep into the soil.
Prevent Soil Erosion
Wind and rain can take its toll on exposed soil and are two primary forces that contribute to the Earth’s erosion. As raindrops plummet from the sky, they can damage and change the landscape, and the force can be strong enough to wash away essential soil. Trees, however, shield the Earth from harsh rain showers by breaking the fall of the rain before it reaches the ground.
When the ground soil is dry, strong winds can also move significant amounts of dirt around, causing damage. Tree roots are essential in counteracting this because their deep, strong roots that grip tightly to many layers of the Earth’s surface and keep them in place.
Provide Nourishment
Trees protect the environment by providing nourishment to humans and wildlife. Many trees are a natural food source from which humans, birds, insects, squirrels, bees, and countless more count on for sustenance. While they do not traditionally provide a complete diet, trees make a critical contribution to the food supply of our ecosystem.
Provide Shelter for Wildlife
Trees support the lives of many animals. Trees provide shelter, a location for reproduction, and a haven for the young. Many animals rely on trees for nesting, keeping cool, resting, and for cover when they hunt prey or hide from predators.
Save Water
Trees are efficient at conserving water, storing an excessive amount of it in their leaves and bark. Through a process called transpiration, trees absorb water, store it in their roots and release it into the atmosphere through evaporation from their leaf pores. On average, one tree releases out 250-400 or more gallons of water in just one day.
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Reinforce Soil Nutrients
Growing trees helps maintain the structure of our soil and add beneficial nutrients to the soil. Trees make great agricultural partners for gardeners in that they increase soil fertility and help prevent soil erosion. Tree roots improve the soil structure by aerating the soil and absorbing large amounts of water, improving drainage.
Trees also release their leaves, which composts back into the soil and add essential nutrients back into the soil. Many trees’ roots add beneficial nutrients back into the ground, fertilizing nearby plants organically and benefitting gardeners across the globe.
Provide Beneficial Shade and Cooling Properties
Planting the right trees keen thought on placement can provide shade and cooling to your property and home. The shading and cooling properties of trees conserve energy, reduce energy bills, and help the fight against climate change.
Reduce Climate Change and Global Warming
Planting trees helps with the struggle against climate change. They efficiently absorb harmful CO2, removing it from the atmosphere and storing it while releasing life-boosting oxygen.
As tree coverage on the earth diminishes, the overall temperatures across the globe increases. Cutting down trees and laying heat absorbing roadways and buildings are making our cities warmer overall. By creating a balance with trees, these areas of the Earth can benefit from significantly cooler temperature as the local trees release water into communities and provide soothing shade.
There are so many ways planting trees protects the environment. Take some time to strategically plant a variety of trees around your home and not only will you reap the rewards, but the environment will too. Restore a better quality of life within your community and help protect the environment. The best time to plant a tree is now.
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