Planting
trees in your area is really one of the best things you can do to conserve the
natural environment.
Trees contribute to a
healthy and safe environment and are essential for healthy communities and
people.
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| Why are plants and trees important to the environment? |
The Environmental Benefits
of Planting a Tree
Tree planting is one of
the most attractive and environmentally friendly activities that you can
participate in to improve the local environment and our planet.
Trees play an important
role as providers of food, wood, shelter, shade, aesthetic beauty, and
ecological contributions such as water conservation, soil preservation, climate
amelioration, improving air quality, and supporting wildlife.
Trees are good for the
environment and deforestation is bad for the planet, but you may be surprised
at all the benefits trees provide to creatures.
Importance of Trees to the
Environment
There are many benefits
that trees provide to our environment to make our planet Earth a safer and
healthier place to live, including:
Trees help fight climate
change
Trees provide many
benefits to living things every day, they attract birds and wildlife, provide
cool shade, block the cold winter winds, filter the air, clean our water,
prevent soil erosion, and add grace and beauty to our homes and communities.
Trees reduce the
concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, by taking carbon dioxide
from the atmosphere and storing it in its wood in a process called "carbon
sequestration", and this prevents climate change.
Trees also reduce
pollution and global warming, because they are the lungs of the planet.
Trees contribute to
biodiversity
Trees are the ultimate
keystone species as they become a food source and natural habitat for wildlife
— many insects, fungi, and other wildlife, depend on specific types of trees to
survive.
Trees provide food for
butterflies and birds from their fruits, leaves and flowers. Birds most often
raise their young in nests on the tree and hide from predators because they
consider the tree a shelter for them, so when they disappear, entire ecosystems
can get degraded.
As for the branches of a
large tree, they form a support for climbing plants such as: Ferns and others,
so planting trees makes wildlife more accessible.
Trees also add beauty to
nature, increase man’s connection with nature and give him tranquility,
especially as the green color calms and helps reduce stress and minimize
pollution.
Trees reduce city
temperatures
The tree helps conserve
energy, and this is a great economic benefit, as growing three trees around the
house reduces air conditioner needs by up to 50%, which is why the tree is a
natural conditioner.
Also, one tree generates a
cooling effect that is enough for ten rooms, which gives a feeling of
freshness, and in return, it reduces energy requirements in winter because it
acts as windbreaks, and this, in turn, reduces fuel use and makes pollution
control easier because it reduces energy consumption.
The tree helps reduce the
air temperature because it blocks some of the sun's rays, which increases the
feeling of coolness and freshness, especially when the water evaporates from
the surface of the leaves on trees, and this helps a lot in reducing the air
temperature, as the tree acts as a natural air conditioner.
As the amount of
evaporation from one tree is equivalent to the cooling effect of ten room-sized
air conditioners, operating for twenty hours a day.
Also, the tree's shade
helps block the sun's rays in the summer and prevents it from entering the
house.
Trees help conserve soil
The tree reduces soil
erosion, increases the ability of the soil to absorb rainwater, and helps to
manage water in cities, because its leaves capture some of the falling
rainwater, and it also reduces pressure on drainage systems.
The fallen leaves of a
tree help in lowering the temperature of the soil and reducing the amount of
moisture lost from it, as the fallen leaves decompose and promote the presence
of microorganisms in the soil, and increase the availability of nutrients
necessary for the growth of trees.
The tree also helps lower
surface water runoff, which reduces sediment build-up in streams, increases
groundwater recharge, and reduces harmful chemicals.
Trees help clean the air
Trees remove harmful gases
from the atmosphere, prevent global warming and the greenhouse effect, and help
improve air quality by reducing outdoor temperatures.
The tree helps to
reduce the proportion of dust, smoke and pollen in the air. The level of dust
in the air surrounding the tree is 75% less than the dust in bare places.
The tree also absorbs
odors and pollutant gases ( carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide,
ammonia, lead, ozone, and nitrogen dioxide) and filters particulates out of the
air by trapping them on its leaves and bark, and in return, it releases oxygen,
as one large tree can provide oxygen to four people per day.
Trees protect your home by
slowing wind speed
Protecting your home from
high winds starts with the moment you plant your tree. Trees are very effective
as windbreaks and are essential in minimizing damage to your homes from high
winds and storms, but your choice of species and planting site should be carefully
considered.
The evergreen tree helps
reduce wind speed, and it also prevents noise. The leaves and branches of the
tree help absorb sound and prevent its waves from spreading, and this helps
reduce highway noise by 50%, especially evergreen trees, which reduce noise in
general.
Trees improve the urban
environment
Trees play an important
role in making cities healthier and more sustainable and providing plants and
animals with a favorable habitat, food, and protection.
Trees are excellent
filters for urban pollutants and fine particles, they help lower the
temperature surrounding the city, by increasing the availability of
shade.
Trees also improve water
and air quality because they absorb pollutants, intercept dust and small
particles, produce oxygen, and reduce the level of ozone erosion.
Trees improve the quality
of life
Trees are a truly
beautiful part of the natural environment, but they are also amazingly
efficient machines—constantly working to make Earth a healthier planet.
The tree helps to improve
the environment in general, and this affects people's lives because it enhances
their health.
Trees improve the quality of life by providing oxygen, cleaning the air, conserving water, preserving soil, ameliorating the effects of climate change, supporting wildlife and making the world a beautiful place, as they bring beauty by the greenness of the leaves and fruits.