Urban Trees Reduce Heat, Improve Drainage and Increase Livability

Trees are the muscles of urban landscapes. They provide a wide array of benefits to individual homes, neighborhoods, and the city at large. A wide variety of trees -- from forests at the outskirts that absorb and filter pollutants -- to flowering dogwoods and climbing trees -- all add livability to urban living.

The hard working "tree" is even more important today, with our concerns about air quality and climate change. If you have room to plant a tree -- in a yard, on suburban or rural property, or even in a container on your deck -- you have the opportunity to contribute to the restoration of our natural forest-covered earth's natural air, water and soil system that is self-healing.

Trees reduce carbon dioxide in the air, thereby reducing the warming “greenhouse” effect of the gas, in two main ways. First, as they grow, they take carbon dioxide out of the air and transform it into roots, leaves, bark, flowers, and wood. Over the lifetime of a tree, several tons of carbon dioxide are taken up (McPherson and Simpson 1999). In fact, trees are the only known feasible way to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Even if we were able to switch immediately to fuel sources that do not emit carbon dioxide, the current levels in the air are higher than at any time in the past 400,000 years, according to the UN’s International Panel on Climate Change, and because of the long “lifetime” of carbon dioxide, will remain so for decades or even centuries.

Second, by providing shade and transpiring water, trees lower air temperature and, therefore, cut energy use, which reduces the production of carbon dioxide at the power plant. Two-thirds of the electricity produced in the United States is created by burning a fuel (coal, oil, or natural gas) that produces carbon dioxide–on average, for every kilowatt hour of electricity created, about 1.39 lbs of carbon dioxide is released (eGRID 2002). It is certainly true, as Dr. Duffy states, that not emitting carbon dioxide in the first place is a good strategy. Lowering summertime temperatures by planting trees in cities is one way to reduce energy use and thereby reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

SOURCE: Eco Preservation Society

PROBLEM: Urban heat contributes to climate change and air pollution

SOLUTION:  Plant and care for more trees -- and keep them healthy for longterm maturity.  Mature trees provide more benefits than young trees.