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TWENTY-NINE
REASONS FOR PLANTING TREES
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Compiled from various sources by:
Glenn Roloff
USDA Forest Service - Northern Region
Missoula, Montana
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1.
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Alleviating the "Greenhouse Effect," trees act as carbon "sinks."
- 1 acre of
new forest will sequester about 2.5 tons of carbon annually. Trees
can absorb CO2 at the rate of 13 pounds/tree/year. Trees reach
their most productive stage of carbon storage at about 10 years.
- In its "Reforesting
the Earth" paper, the Worldwatch Institute estimated that our
planet needs at least 321 million acres planted to trees just
to restore and maintain the productivity of soil and water resources,
meet industrial and fuel-wood needs in the third world, and annually
remove from the atmosphere roughly 780 million tons of carbon
as the trees grow. This 780 million tons represents the removal
of about 25 percent of the 2.9 billion tons of carbon currently
going into the earth's atmosphere.
- Planting
100 million trees could reduce the amount of carbon by an estimated
18 million tons per year and at the same time, save American consumers
$4 billion each year on utility bills.
- For every
ton of new wood that grows, about 1.5 tons of CO2 are removed
from the air and 1.07 tons of life-giving oxygen are produced.
During a 50-year life span, one tree will generate $30,000 in
oxygen, recycle $35,000 worth of water, and clean up $60,000 worth
of air pollution or $125,000 total per tree without including
any other values!
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2. |
Prevents
or reduces soil erosion and water pollution.
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| 3. |
Helps
recharge ground water and sustains streamflow. |
| 4. |
Properly
placed screens of trees and shrubs significantly decrease noise pollution
along busy thoroughfares and intersections. |
| 5.
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Screen
unsightly views. |
| 6. |
Soften
harsh outlines of buildings. |
| 7. |
Provide
fuelwood for stoves and fireplaces by establishing energy plantations
of hybrid poplars and other fast-growing species and managed on a
sustained yield basis for a continuous supply of fuelwood. |
| 8. |
Properly
managed forests provide lumber, plywood and other wood products on
a sustained yield basis. |
| 9. |
Depending
on location, species, size, and condition, shade from trees can reduce
utility bills for air conditioning in residential and commercial buildings
by 15-50 percent. Trees, through their shade and transpiration, provide
natural "low-tech" cooling that means less need to build additional
dams, power plants, and nuclear generators. |
| 10.
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Windbreaks
around homes can be shields against wind and snow and heating costs
can be reduced by as much as 30 percent. |
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| 11. |
Shade
from trees cools hot streets and parking lots. Cities are "heat islands"
that are 5-9 degrees hotter than surrounding areas. And cities spread
each year. |
| 12. |
Trees
and shrubs properly placed and cared for on a residential or commercial
lot can significantly increase property values. |
| 13. |
Numerous
research studies conducted in the Great Plains States have found that
properly placed and cared-for field windbreaks will significantly
increase crop yields compared to fields with no windbreaks, even after
taking into account the space occupied by the trees. Windbreaks create
a more favorable micro-climate for cropland by reducing wind and heat
stress on the crop, while at the same time preventing topsoil loss
and reducing soil moisture losses. During the winter, more moisture
is available for use later in the year since windbreaks trap and accumulate
snow that, without windbreaks, would have blown over and past the
cropland and end up on roads and other breaks in topography. |
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14. |
Farmstead
windbreaks have many values including reduction of utility bills for
cooling and heating, snow entrapment, wind reduction, aesthetics,
and wildlife habitat. |
| 15. |
Trees
also provide nutmeats (walnuts, pecans, hickory), fruit (plum, peaches,
apples, pears), berries for jams and jellies (chokecherry and buffaloberry)
and maple syrup. |
| 16. |
Tree
shelters for livestock effectively reduce weight losses during cold
winter months and provide shade for moderating summer heat. |
| 17. |
Living
snowfences, strategically placed, hold snow away from roads, thus
effectively reducing road maintenance costs and keeping roads open.
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| 18. |
Trees
add beauty and grace to any community setting. They make life more
enjoyable, peaceful, relaxing, and offer a rich inheritance for future
generations. |
| 19. |
Tropical
forests, in addition to their value for winter range for migratory
birds, wood products, etc., are extremely value for healing purposes.
One of every four pharmaceutical products used in the U.S. comes from
a plant found in a tropical forest. However, the majority of tropical
plants have not yet even been scientifically screened to discover
what healing powers they may offer. |
| 20. |
Likewise,
substances found in native trees in the U.S. are used both for pharmaceutical
and other medical purposes. The most recent example is the Pacific
yew tree found in the coastal regions of southeastern Alaska, British
Columbia, Washington, Oregon, and northern California and inland areas
of northern Idaho and western Montana. Experiments conducted at the
National Cancer Institute for the past 10 years have shown that taxol,
a drug extracted from the bark of the Pacific yew, is effective in
treating cancer. One of the Institute's chemists stated recently,
"We have found taxol to be the most effective product in curing ovarian
cancer. So far, 30 percent of our patients have had a total remission
or cure." The USDA Forest Service is now cooperating with the Institute
by inventorying areas in the States mentioned earlier. Cuttings from
those areas were taken last fall, shipped to several Forest Service
nurseries, and are now starting to grow in their greenhouses. The
National Cancer Institute is conducting tests on this plant material
to determine which individual yew trees will produce the highest volume
of taxol. After selections are made, plantations of these high- yielding
trees will be grown for future use in fighting cancer. |
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21. |
Trees
give people a multitude of recreational opportunities and provide
habitat for wildlife. |
| 22. |
Trees
along rivers, streams, and lakes reduce water temperatures by their
shade, prevent or reduce bank erosion and silt, and provide hiding
places for improving fisheries habitat. |
| 23. |
They
provide brilliant colors to landscapes in the fall. After the leaves
drop to the ground and are raked, they provide excellent mulch for
flowerbeds and gardens as well as exercise for people. |
| 24. |
Research
indicates that trees help reduce stress in the workplace and speed
recovery of hospital patients. |
| 25. |
Police
officers believe that trees and landscaping can instill community
pride and help cool tempers that sometimes erupt during "long, hot
summers." |
| 26. |
Trees
help us experience connections with our natural heritage and with
our most deeply held spiritual and cultural values. |
| 27. |
Trees
are valuable as commemoratives of deceased loved ones and for passing
on something of value to future generations. |
| 28. |
A
tribe of South American Indians believes that the trees of the forest
hold up the sky. According to the legend, the fall of trees will precipitate
the downfall of the Earth. |
| 29. |
Finally,
many people enjoy planting and caring for trees simply because they
like to see them grow. |
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