Trees offer a lot to a community and a neighborhood. A family can gather under the trees at the local park for a fun afternoon of playing and spending time together. Those same trees provide shade in which the family can enjoy an afternoon picnic.

 

Mature trees are places where children can climb and reach for the sky. On a cool evening, you can lay under them and listen to the leaves rustle in the breeze.
Trees are an important part of any community, neighborhood and home landscape.

 

Here are a few nuggets of information about how trees affect us:

• Planting a tree on the west side of your home can cut your energy bill by about 3% in the first five years and nearly 12% in 15 years. Who doesn’t like to save money?
• About 83% of realtors believe mature trees have a strong or moderate impact on the salability of homes.
• An established landscape, especially one with mature trees, can increase properly values by as much as 20%
• Oxygen is vital to life. One acre of forest absorbs 6 tons of carbon dioxide and puts out 4 tons of oxygen, which is enough to meet the annual needs of 18 people.
• There are between 60 million and 200 million spaces for trees along city streets. This number of trees has the potential to absorb 33 million more tons of carbon monoxide every year and could save $4 billion in energy costs.
• Trees properly placed around buildings can reduce air conditioning needs by 30% and can save 20% to 50% of energy used for heating.
• Trees can impact the economy. When a town or city is looking to attract new business and increase tourism, commercial retail areas with trees are more attractive to shoppers. Plus, apartments in wooded areas rent more quickly and tenants tend to stay longer. Space in wooded areas also is more valuable to sell or rent.
• Trees lining America’s streets have an average value of $525 per tree.
• Research indicates visual exposure to settings with trees has produced significant recovery from stress within 5 minutes, as indicated by changes in blood pressure and muscle tension.

Yes, trees are a great addition to the landscape around a home or business, but they’re so much more than something pretty to look at. There are health and economic benefits, too.