The Benefits of Large Trees in Your Landscape

Mature trees can provide increased property value, character, beauty and welcoming shade. These are a few reasons why communities often use large shade trees like live oaks in landscapes, around parking lots, along roads, in housing developments and in many other public places. Large trees also provide many other great benefits.

The benefits of trees are classified in the following categories:

• Social Benefits of Large Trees in Your Landscape

  Have you ever noticed the gracefulness of trees on a mild summer afternoon? Trees add a wonderful sense of character and beauty to any setting. Imagine being outside on a gorgeous spring day with the sky so blue, clouds so white, trees so green and flowers so colorful, it truly makes us feel peaceful. That sense of tranquility and serenity puts us at ease and we can begin enjoying the beauty around us.

• Community Benefits of Large Trees in Your Landscape

  Large trees in a community setting have many benefits. One benefit is that larger trees provide a noise barrier, making communities a little bit quieter. Some large trees have an architectural function such as emphasizing a certain view of a building. Since most large trees live for a very long time, you should carefully plan where you are going to plant the tree. Tree roots can damage sidewalks and roads if placed with insufficient room to grow.

  Did You Know?

  • Trees help prevent city flooding by catching raindrops and offsetting runoff caused by buildings and parking lots.
  • One large tree can intercept more than 1000 gallons of water annually.
  • A tree-line buffer between fields and streams helps remove farming pollutants before they reach the water and recharges underground aquifers.
  • Trees can either store harmful pollutants or change the pollutant into a less harmful form.
• Environmental Benefits of Large Trees in Your Landscape

  Trees can help control the temperature around them by blocking the effects of direct sunlight, wind and rain. Sunlight is either absorbed or deflected by trees as light gets filtered by the branches, producing shade underneath the tree. Trees that are large and have compact branches and leaves help break up wind speed.

  Rainfall is caught and re-directed by trees producing some shelter from rain for people, animals and buildings. Trees help keep cities from flooding by absorbing water runoff. Trees can also help improve the air by removing dust particles. The leaves of trees absorb carbon-dioxide (CO2) and release oxygen (O2). Trees also take in other pollutants like: ozone, carbon monoxide and sulfur dioxide.

  Did you know?

  • One tree can absorb around 1 ton of carbon dioxide in one year.
  • All trees in the United States remove around 1 million tons of CO2 a year.
  • Trees help reduce the greenhouse effect.
  • Shade produced by trees help reduce the Earth’s temperature.
• Economic Benefits of Large Trees in Your Landscape

  Trees can benefit the economy both directly and in-directly. For example, saving electricity would be a direct benefit. It has been proven that a house surrounded by trees that produce shade have lower electric bills than houses that are in direct sunlight. Heating costs can be reduced when a group of trees produce a windbreaker effect. Another direct economic benefit of trees is they increase property values.

  An indirect economic benefit example is when customers pay lower electricity bills as a result of a power company's ability to use less water in their cooling towers, build fewer new facilities to meet peak demands and use reduced amounts of fossil fuel in their furnaces. Often communities can save thousands of dollars by planting large trees to control storm water instead of building facilities to control the storm water.

  Often communities can save thousands of dollars by planting large trees to control storm water instead of building facilities to control the storm water.

  Did You Know?

  • Forest planting is one of the most effective ways to reduce CO2.
  • In 50 years one tree:
    • Recycles more than $37,000 worth of water
    • Provides $31,000 worth of erosion control
    • $62,000 worth of air pollution control
    • Produces $37,000 worth of oxygen
  • Evergreen trees provide protection from winter winds and acts as a privacy fence
  • Street trees provide shade and cover for paved surfaces, reflecting heat
  • Trees can increase real estate value by 5 to 20 percent
  • Trees that produce shade over a home can reduce the air-conditioning costs by 10 to 15 percent
  • Trees provide a habitat for wildlife

References:

• http://www.treeinabox.com
• http://www.treesaregood.com
• USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map