Top 10 Reasons Why Trees are Beneficial in all Communities

At Ben & Annie’s Trees for Tomorrow, our goal is to continuously improve our own conservation efforts and encourage others to do the same. Having trees around your community has an enormous amount of environmental benefits, but there are additional benefits that may not be as obvious. Read on to see the top 10 advantages of having trees in your community.

Provides Clean Air 

Trees give us oxygen. We typically learn early in life that much of the earth’s oxygen is produced by trees, and it’s potentially the most well known fact about them. What we might not know is that trees play a large role in actually cleaning the air around us.

Helps with Carbon Sequestration

Trees are able to soak up carbon dioxide and other air pollutants within their bark, roots and leaves. When the sun’s rays hit the earth, the atmosphere helps keep some of the heat in, warming the earth. This is a natural process, but due to human activity, the greenhouse gasses we produce are climbing and keeping the planet at a warmer temperature. Having more trees in the world helps alleviate that effect. 

Creates Jobs

Across the United States, National Forests have always been great locations for tourists to see the country’s natural beauty. The economic activity that we see coming from our National Forests also helps secure and expand jobs in those places, and planting more trees in urban areas can help create more job opportunities in cities as well. 

Provides Clean Water 

Our forests are also natural filtration systems. When water is absorbed through the leaves of the tree, it is then filtered through the tree’s roots and cleaned as it continues to flow into our groundwater. 

Helps with Flood Control

Trees also release the water they absorb into the air through oxygen and water vapor. When there is heavy rainfall in an area, trees and forests help absorb much of that water runoff ensuring it doesn’t overflow into streams and cause flooding and erosion.

Reduces Crime 

The fact that having more trees in your neighborhood could be related to a lower amount of crime may not be something you’ve ever truly thought about. According to various studies across the country, like this one done in Baltimore, researchers show that neighborhoods they looked into with more trees tended to have lower percentages of crime. 

Improves Mental Health

Going for a walk in the forest or simply sitting outside surrounded by trees is a great way to take a breath and decompress. Nature is simply calming, and by taking a few hours each week to get out and enjoy it, it can help reduce any stress you may be feeling in your life. 

Increases Property Values 

While having trees all around your property creates a beautiful landscape, it also does a lot to increase the property value of your home. Along with the natural beauty that good landscaping brings to potential buyers, having trees in your yard also provides the owner with an increased sense of privacy. These details can do a lot when it comes time to sell your home. 

Helps Control Temperature

Trees are able to cool down areas when the heat continues to rise and block out cold air when winter begins. Trees aren’t just helpful for the lone household though, they are also known to help cool the temperature of entire cities. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, buildings and roads in urban cities are known to absorb more heat than forests. By having more trees planted in cities, they can help lower the temperatures of the area.  

Builds Stronger Wildlife Habitats

Trees offer shelter and food supplies to the world’s wildlife population, and by protecting forests and doing our best to plant new trees when possible, we are in turn helping to keep our wildlife protected. 

Planting trees plays an important role in our daily lives and sometimes we don’t even realize how significant it is. Contact us to hear more about our mission, or become a builder partner.