Here are some ways trees make our lives better:
Trees help us relax.
The sight of trees reduces blood pressure, helps hospital patients recover, and increases worker productivity. Exposure to trees and nature reduces children’s stress. Drivers who can see trees and nature are less frustrated.
Trees keep us cooler.
By casting shade and giving off moisture from its leaves, a big shade tree can reduce the surrounding temperature by 10 to 15 degrees. In cities, planting lots of trees can reduce the “heat island effect” caused by heat stored in paving and masonry buildings.
Trees make our streets quieter.
They reduce noise by absorbing sound, especially at high frequencies. A band of trees and shrubs planted on a raised berm can reduce highway noise by 6 to 10 decibels.
Trees make our cities safer.
In city areas with nearby trees and natural landscapes, there is less domestic violence. Apartment complexes with many trees had 52 percent fewer crimes. On tree-lined streets, people drive more slowly, reducing accident risk. Studies have shown that trees contribute to stronger ties among neighbors, a greater sense of safety, closer supervision of children in outdoor places, healthier patterns of children's play, more use of neighborhood common spaces, fewer property crimes, and fewer violent crimes. Adolescents in urban communities may display less aggressive behavior if they live in neighborhoods with more greenery.
Trees surround us in beauty.
Green in summer, golden in fall, lovely even in winter when their branches are outlined with snow, and glorious in spring, trees bring life to city streets and grandeur to suburban boulevards. Without trees, our neighborhoods would be stark and lifeless. Without trees, the horizon would be empty. Without the woods, where would the trail go?