Top 4 reasons why trees are awesome!

I recently saw a presentation from Trees Forever, a local organization focused on trees (of course). They explained the benefits of trees, but I really had no idea about ALL the benefits a tree provides.

The message focused on four main areas how trees help us out:

1. Save energy by reducing utility bills
• provide shade to reduce air conditioning needs in summer
• reduce "heat island effect" in cities with lots of cement (also reducing air conditioning)
• slow down winter winds to reduce heating needs in winter
2. Reduce stormwater run-off into streams and rivers
• Rain is intercepted by tree leaves, slows down amount of rain that lands on the ground
• Rain is absorbed by tree roots, instead of drained into streets
• Tree roots make dirt more porous, allowing faster absorption of rain into ground (and back into aquifers after being cleansed and filtered by the soil)
3. Reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) escaping into atmosphere
• Trees need carbon to breathe so the more there are, the less that escapes
4. Property value increase for your home when you have:
• Mature trees (about 2% increase for medium/large trees in your yard, up to 15% increase in high income neighborhoods)
• Trees in the front yard (about 3-5% increase)
• Good tree coverage in the neighborhood (about 6-9% increase)

They didn't even get into the other benefits of trees, such as improved air quality, calming effect for children, recovery time for hospitalized patients, wildlife habitat, or the multiple purposes it serves as a raw material (heat, paper, goods, fruits, etc).

So it definitely pays to invest in trees in your yard. The rule of thumb they provided was a 4:1 ratio, so for every $1 you spend on a tree, you'll get $4 in savings. To learn more about the financial benefits of trees, visit TreeBenefits.com to calculate what you can save long term.

Visit Trees Forever to learn more about their organization.