Overall benefits and services of trees – Trees, are the largest, by size, plant species on our planet. Without them life as we know it would not exist. Here are just a few of the life sustaining services they provide all life forms on our planet: 1.Trees maintain our atmosphere – They make oxygen and take in carbon dioxide. All green plants, including trees, are the only species on our planet with the pigment chlorophyll. Chlorophyll, which is in the cells of leaves, allows the plant to make its own food from the sun’s energy. Green plants are the only species on our planet that can make their own food. The process by which they do this is called photosynthesis. One of the major responsibilities of all plants is to pass on directly or indirectly the sun’s energy to all other living species on this planet. This process is called the Food Web or the Web of Life. During the growing season trees filter pollutants from the air by daily removing nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide and heavy metals. Ex: One mature oak tree can make 260 pounds of oxygen a year and absorb 48 pounds of carbon dioxide. Fact: 50% of the biomass of a living tree is carbon. This carbon is only released back into the atmosphere when a tree burns or when it slowly decomposes.
5.Trees provide winter protection – Evergreen trees provide protection in the winter from wind and storms. Many species of birds and animals seek protection in and under evergreens. In warmer months birds and animals find shelter from predators in trees. Trees also provide a safe habitat so animals and birds can build their nests and rear their offspring safely. NOTE: With evergreens placed strategically around our homes, they help slow down and diminish the wicking of heat due to wind and cold and keep our homes warmer in the winter months. 6.Trees provide shade – Forests are 10 degrees cooler because solar rays are cut off and because of transpiration. The more trees in your yard and neighborhood, the cooler it will be due to sun blockage and evaporative cooling. In summer months, deciduous trees will provide shade, which will keep homes cooler, especially if they were planted on the south side of structures.
Plants and trees also communicate with insects sending airborne chemical messages that act as distress signals to attract predatory insects to come and kill the herbivore insects that are attacking them. The emerging picture is that plant-eating insects, (herbivores), and the predatory insects that feed on them, live in a world we can barely imagine. Perfumed by clouds of chemicals, rich in information and released in the air in in the ground, all insects, ants, microbes, moths, hummingbirds and even animals are capable of detecting and reacting to these blasts of chemicals. Other studies have shown that parent trees help their offspring using their mycorrhizal connections, to get a heads up in growing and surviving the intense competition for nutrients, water and root space. Books to read on the subject of tree and plant communication -Scientist are discovering and learning every day new aspects on this salient subject. Because this blog can not do justice to the breath of this issue, I have listed some of the best books out there on this subject matter. Note: Books are listed with the most recently published at the top. ‘Finding The Mother Tree’ by Suzanne Simard ‘The Nature of Oaks’ by Douglas Tallamy ‘The Hidden Life of Trees’ by Peter Wohlleben ‘The Song of Trees’ by David George Haskell ‘The Trees in My Forest’ by Bernd Heinrich How does one end a blog on such an important subject? It is my hope that next time you might be thinking of cutting down a tree to put up a swing set, build a fire pit, or to give yourself a better view, maybe you will think twice about the essential daily services that tree is providing you, your family, your community as well as all the other species of birds, insects and animals you share your environment with. Perhaps instead of cutting down a tree, you will find a space to plant a native tree on your property. Or maybe next time you pass a tree you will show your appreciation by sharing your gratitude with a heartfelt thank you or maybe like me, you might even become a tree hugger!
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorConsultant, designer and educator transforming commercial and residential landscapes sustainably Archives
March 2023
Categories |