How To’s and What For’s
The Arbor Day Foundation said it best:
Trees Are Simply Amazing.
They clean air and water, slow climate change, ease poverty and hunger, prevent species loss, and feed the human soul.
All we need to do is plant and care for them.
Let’s work together to make it happen around the world.
More at: https://www.arborday.org/
Photo Credit: The Arbor Day Foundation
The sugar maple (Acer Saccharum) is one of America’s best-loved trees. In fact, more states have claimed it as their state tree than any other single species—those states being New York, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Vermont.
While commercially planted for its delicious syrup and value as lumber, this tree makes a great addition to any yard or park. And one of its most prominent features is amazing fall color. As the seasons change, the leaves turn vibrant shades of yellow, burnt orange and red.
Read more about these magnificent trees at: https://www.arborday.org/Trees/TreeGuide/treedetail.cfm?itemID=870
Full article at: Smithsonianmag.com
Today, Chapman is known by another name—Johnny Appleseed—and his story has been imbued with the saccharine tint of a fairy tale. If we think of Johnny Appleseed as a barefoot wanderer whose apples were uniform, crimson orbs, it’s thanks in large part to the popularity a segment of the 1948 Disney feature, Melody Time, which depicts Johnny Appleseed in Cinderella fashion, surrounded by blue songbirds and a jolly guardian angel.
But this contemporary notion is flawed, tainted by our modern perception of the apple as a sweet, edible fruit. The apples that Chapman brought to the frontier were completely distinct from the apples available at any modern grocery store or farmers’ market, and they weren’t primarily used for eating—they were used to make America’s beverage-of-choice at the time, hard apple cider.”
Read more at: Smithsonianmag.com: The Real Johnny Appleseed
Here are 22 of the best reasons to plant and care for trees or defend a tree’s standing:
Excess carbon dioxide (CO2) caused by many factors is a building up in our atmosphere and contributing to climate change. Trees absorb CO2, removing and storing the carbon while releasing the oxygen back into the air. In one year, an acre of mature trees absorbs the amount of CO2 produced when you drive your car 26,000 miles.
Trees absorb odors and pollutant gases (nitrogen oxides, ammonia, sulfur dioxide and ozone) and filter particulates out of the air by trapping them on their leaves and bark.
In one year an acre of mature trees can provide enough oxygen for 18 people.
Average temperatures in Los Angeles have risen 6°F in the last 50 years as tree coverage has declined and the number of heat-absorbing roads and buildings has increased. Trees cool the city by up to 10°F, by shading our homes and streets, breaking up urban “heat islands” and releasing water vapor into the air through their leaves.
Three trees placed strategically around a single-family home can cut summer air conditioning needs by up to 50 percent. By reducing the energy demand for cooling our houses, we reduce carbon dioxide and other pollution emissions from power plants.
Shade from trees slows water evaporation from thirsty lawns. Most newly planted trees need only fifteen gallons of water a week. As trees transpire, they increase atmospheric moisture.
Trees reduce runoff by breaking rainfall thus allowing the water to flow down the trunk and into the earth below the tree. This prevents storm water from carrying pollutants to the ocean. When mulched, trees act like a sponge that filters this water naturally and uses it to recharge groundwater supplies.
On hillsides or stream slopes, trees slow runoff and hold soil in place.
Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States. Trees reduce UV-B exposure by about 50 percent, thus providing protection to children on school campuses and playgrounds – where children spend hours outdoors.
An apple tree can yield up to 15-20 bushels of fruit per year and can be planted on the tiniest urban lot. Aside from fruit for humans, trees provide food for birds and wildlife.
Studies have shown that patients with views of trees out their windows heal faster and with less complications. Children with ADHD show fewer symptoms when they have access to nature. Exposure to trees and nature aids concentration by reducing mental fatigue.
Neighborhoods and homes that are barren have shown to have a greater incidence of violence in and out of the home than their greener counterparts. Trees and landscaping help to reduce the level of fear.
Is it winter, spring, summer or fall? Look at the trees.
Fruit harvested from community orchards can be sold, thus providing income. Small business opportunities in green waste management and landscaping arise when cities value mulching and its water-saving qualities. Vocational training for youth interested in green jobs is also a great way to develop economic opportunities from trees.
Whether as houses for children or creative and spiritual inspiration for adults, trees have provided the space for human retreat throughout the ages.
Tree plantings provide an opportunity for community involvement and empowerment that improves the quality of life in our neighborhoods. All cultures, ages, and genders have an important role to play at a tree planting or tree care event.
Trees as landmarks can give a neighborhood a new identity and encourage civic pride.
Sycamore and oak are among the many urban species that provide excellent urban homes for birds, bees, possums and squirrels.
Trees can mask concrete walls or parking lots, and unsightly views. They muffle sound from nearby streets and freeways, and create an eye-soothing canopy of green. Trees absorb dust and wind and reduce glare.
In suburban and rural areas, trees can be selectively harvested for fuel and craft wood.
The beauty of a well-planted property and its surrounding street and neighborhood can raise property values by as much as 15 percent.
Studies show that the more trees and landscaping a business district has, the more business will flow in. A tree-lined street will also slow traffic – enough to allow the drivers to look at the store fronts instead of whizzing by.
Used with permission from TreePeople, an environmental nonprofit organization whose mission is to inspire, engage and support people to take personal responsibility for the urban environment, making it safe, healthy, fun and sustainable and to share our process as a model for the world.
