Why Trees Matter
BV Cool Trees will plant 250+ trees in Buena Vista over the course of 3 years. So how will all of these trees actually benefit our community?
As part of their 2024 BV Tree Team internship, six Parry McCluer High School students set out to answer this question by researching the benefits of trees on three fronts: ecological, social-emotional, and as an element of green infrastructure.
As you read through the interns' work, we invite you to consider: Why are trees important to you?
Ecological Benefits
Native Trees: Native trees are both beneficial for and reliant on their local environments. They have adapted to the climate, soil, and wildlife to thrive and survive. Animals prefer native trees rather than invasive, non-native species because their needs are accustomed to those native trees. In addition, native trees provide food, shade, and shelter, and they also reduce air pollution while being beautiful.
Carbon Sequestration: Carbon sequestration is the process of trees soaking up carbon from the atmosphere. The trees soak up the carbon and release oxygen that we breathe. The carbon in the atmosphere causes the greenhouse effect. The greenhouse effect causes warming temperatures around the globe. By sequestering the carbon trees help prevent global warming.
Soak Up the Rain: Runoff is water that hasn't been soaked up by the ground and is often polluted. It is a common problem in urban areas. In places where there isn’t much vegetation and forests it is harder to absorb water. This water collects sediments, oil, pesticides, and much more toxic pollutants as it approaches drainage systems. It can be left untreated and will prove harmful to bodies of water. Flooding is also another issue in urban areas because like before, there isn’t anything to soak up the water. Trees are important to avoid runoff and flooding.
Riparian Buffers: A riparian buffer is a patch of vegetation that is adjacent to a river. It provides stabilization for banks and food for aquatic wildlife. Riparian buffers also filter sediment. They include both trees and bushes. Riparian buffers can be found anywhere there's water. Riparian buffers are very important for banks and wildlife.
Heat Islands: Heat islands are urbanized areas that are hotter than outlying areas. Trees and vegetation decrease heat. They release cooler air through evaporation and transpiration and create moisture. Forests are known to be 2.9 degrees cooler than urban areas. They can also reduce energy use and create much better air for breathing.
Citations
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CLEAR Center: What is Carbon Sequestration and How Does It Work?
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USDA: Riparian Forest Buffers
By Amelia and Kylin
Social & Emotional Benefits
By Eli and Elly
Trees are beneficial to our psychological, emotional, and social well-being.
Trees calm people down, and they also have the ability to reduce stress and stabilize mood. They also improve learning, focus, and attention. Harvard University’s Peter James states that “staring at trees, even watching leaves scatter in the wind, allows our brains to be ready for the next cognitive task.” As an example, trees can even assist children with ADHD, helping them focus and deal with attentional issues.
In addition, trees affect how we interact with others. According to Michelle Kondo, a U.S. Forest Service Social Scientist who studies the health benefits of trees, “being near trees softens people in disposition and makes them more empathetic to others.” Creating these emotional bonds even has an effect on levels of violence in communities. According to an article in National Geographic, a 2018 study showed that, in communities below the poverty line where trees were planted in vacant lots, there was a 29 percent reduction in gun violence.
Additionally, trees can increase sociability. Communities with more trees have been shown to attract more people, and they also create a stronger sense of community and “civic pride.” This refers to helping people feel as though others care about their neighborhoods. Tree-planting projects can also create a range of jobs such as planting, pruning, and cutting down older or dead trees. These jobs increase other workforces as well by making a community a space people want to be in and be involved in.
In conclusion, trees are not just important for nature, but equally important for our communities.
Citation:
National Geographic: The Surprising Way That Millions of New Trees Could Transform America
Green Infrastructure
What is green infrastructure? Green infrastructure is made up of environmental features that benefit both the natural world and human communities. Trees are an essential element of green infrastructure since they filter and absorb storm water where it falls, which takes the burden off of human-made infrastructure like pipes and sewers. Trees also provide other infrastructure benefits like improving air quality, sequestering carbon, reducing stormwater pollution, fending off floods, and providing cooling shade.
There are also other forms of green infrastructure that enhance the important work trees do. Rainwater harvesting is one example. By storing rainwater, this technique slows down runoff after storms. Rainwater harvesters can take the water that has been stored and use it later, when there is less rain, to water plants, trees, and gardens. These systems have been used all around the world. Some are barrels attach to buildings to collect rainwater from the roof. Others use tarps like a funnel to collect water in a barrel.
Another example of rainwater harvesting is bioswales. Bioswales are rain gardens planted in strategic locations like the space between the sidewalk and the curb. Rain gardens are a shallow area like a small pond without any water in it. It is filled with plants, mulch and vegetation so that when the rain falls it collects rainwater in the Rain Garden and gets filtered to have clean water.
Through BV Cool Trees, our community is implementing a very effective green infrastructure system. We will be helping to plant over 200+ trees in the Buena Vista area to help reduce stormwater pollution, provide cleaner water and air, and help with flooding. The next time there is a big storm coming, our green infrastructure systems will help reduce flooding and use rainwater to help our community in a positive way.
Citation:
By James and Zola
