TREES AND CLIMATE

Climate change is the biggest challenge facing the health of our planet. And while it will take many solutions working together to make a difference, trees are the proven, affordable, natural way that can be implemented quickly to pull carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere today. Every tree planted is a step in the right direction.

TREES AND COMMUNITIES

Trees play a critical role in creating healthier, safer, and more connected communities. They clean our air, filter our water, and even slow storm surge and flooding in our cities. Trees also provide shade and cool our cities by up to 10 degrees, which can help prevent heat-related deaths in urban areas.

Even as social and economic issues fracture our society, trees continue to connect communities, cultures, and generations. Neighborhood trees have shown the ability to reduce stress, improve overall health and development in children, and encourage physical activity. And a healthy community wide tree canopy fosters economic advantages as well as an increase in civic pride among residents.

TREES AND BIODIVERSITY

Healthy forests, whether in natural or urban spaces, are key to the health of some of the most biodiverse ecosystems in the world. Trees support wildlife and aquatic life by providing habitat and helping to keep waterways healthy. This ensures that ecosystem balance can be maintained and biodiversity can thrive.

Forests rich in biodiversity benefit the human population, too. Trees and other forest life work together to ensure a clean source of drinking water, buffer against extreme weather, provide medicines, offer outdoor recreation, and enrich human culture.

TREE FACTS WE LOVE

• Global forests removed about one-third of fossil fuel emissions annually from 1990 to 2007.

• Trees remove Trees remove pollution from the atmosphere, improving air quality and human health.pollution from the atmosphere, improving air quality and human health.

• In Los Angeles, trees remove nearly 2,000 tons of air pollution each year.

• In Chicago, trees remove more than 18,000 tons of air pollution each year.

• In Greater Kansas City, trees remove 26,000 tons of air pollution each year.

• One large tree can provide a day’s supply of oxygen for up to four people.

• More than 20% of the world’s oxygen is produced in the Amazon Rainforest

• Forested watersheds provide quality drinking water to more than 180 million Americans.

• Trees lower surface and air temperatures by providing shade. Shaded surfaces may be 20–45°F cooler than the peak temperatures of unshaded materials.

• Trees absorb carbon dioxide (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 by a car driven 26,000 miles.

• Carefully positioned trees can reduce a household’s energy consumption for heating and cooling by up to 25%.

• Computer models devised by the U.S. Department of Energy predict that the proper placement of only three trees can save an average household between $100 and $250 in energy costs annually.

• Trees and forests provide important species range. Many animals have a range of hundreds of square miles. The mountain lion of North America, for instance, has a range of nearly 400 square miles.

• The above stats and text is taken directly off the Arbor Day Foundation website, we are honored to partner with them.