April 8, 2020 Arbor Day was created to encourage people to plant trees. National Arbor Day is always the same every year, the last Friday in April. Although worldwide, Arbor Day is celebrated on a day that correlates to the best time of the year to plant a tree. Planting a tree can have many positive effects on your community and your environment. Plant a tree this Arbor Day and help make your community a better place! Aesthetics Trees can be aesthetically pleasing and give your street-side or backyard a more natural look. Having trees can help increase property value by up to 15 percent. If that isn’t incentive enough to plant a tree, some trees even flower which can be beautiful in certain seasons and set you apart from your neighbors. Air Pollution Along with being aesthetically pleasing, nature can naturally solve many environmental problems. Trees help to reduce the carbon dioxide in the air. The Arbor Day Foundation states that 48 pounds of carbon dioxide can be absorbed yearly by a SINGLE tree! Trees absorb carbon dioxide during photosynthesis and produce oxygen. Due to the invention of cars and outputs from factories, air pollution is a big worry for many people. Trees also absorb sulfur dioxide, nitrous, and hydrocarbon emissions which come from vehicles. Therefore, trees are a natural solution to a large global problem. Water Pollution Trees work as a natural water filter to filter out pollutants and algae. Trees can also help to reduce stormwater runoff by absorbing the water into the soil. The water comes from rain or snowmelt and runs along different surfaces and usually ends up in local waterways instead of being sent to a treatment plant. Stormwater runoff can be a major source of pollution in our waterways. It can contain garbage, gasoline, pet waste, and other pollutants. By using trees to absorb the excess water and filter out some of the pollution, we can create safer waterways. Increased Comfort Trees can spruce up your backyard or community, but they also provide more practical uses. Trees can be used to lower the temperature as much as 7.2 degrees. Along with physically lowering the temperature, trees can also create shade on hot summer days preventing the direct rays of the sun and making you feel cooler. Trees are also known to have a therapeutic effect on hypertension in humans leading to a calming effect. Do it for You, Your Family, and The Planet Not only would you be doing your environment a favor when you plant a tree, but you are also doing yourself a favor. You are making your surroundings more pleasing to be around. You are also making it so that you can breathe easier with fewer risks of catching pollution-related diseases. But it doesn’t come down to just affecting you, improving the air and water quality affects all animals and people. Planting a tree doesn’t take up your entire day and has effects that last as long as that tree is alive, which could be a hundred years. If you need advice on planting a new tree or taking care of a mature one, contact Front Range Arborists. Our certified tree experts will help you at any stage in your tree’s life.
