Advertisement

firehouse pizza banner

Patty Craig: A Slice of Time

I’m experiencing environmental guilt. Over the past year, I’ve lost four front-yard trees: one fell in a storm, and three were cut. The trees were old and rotting in the center. Worst still, I have other trees that need to come down. But, because of the importance of trees to our environment, I regret their loss.

My trees provided wonderful shade, and we will miss it. Trees act as the planet’s heat shield. They play an important role in producing oxygen and reducing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. They moderate ground temperatures and prevent erosion. Trees filter air pollution and act as nature’s water filters, capable of cleaning up toxic wastes. They also provide us with fruit and nuts. Researchers say that walking in a wooded area reduces the level of stress chemicals in the body and increases natural killer cells in the immune system that fight tumors and viruses. Additionally, studies of inner cities have shown that anxiety, depression and crime are lower in a landscaped environment. Finally, harvested trees provide wood for fuel, furniture and homes (Jim Robbins, http://www.ecology.com/2011/09/10/paper-chase/).

Several Internet sites provide facts about the importance of trees. Some of that information is listed below:
•    About one third of the United States of America is covered by forests. According to the last forest inventory, there are almost 247 billion trees over 1 inch in diameter in the U.S.
•    The shade and wind buffering provided by trees reduces annual heating and cooling costs by 2.1 billion dollars. Well-maintained trees and shrubs can increase property value by up to 14%.
•    Trees properly placed around buildings can reduce air conditioning needs by 30%, and 95% of homes are built using wood.
•    A single tree produces approximately 260 pounds of oxygen per year. That means two mature trees can supply enough oxygen annually to support a family of four.
•    One tree can absorb as much carbon in a year as a car produces while driving 26,000 miles. Over the course of its life, a single tree can absorb one ton of carbon dioxide.
•    An average American uses about 750 pounds of paper every year. Trees used to make paper in the United States come mostly from softwood forests – mostly pine – in the South and West.
•    In 2010, recycled paper averaged 334 pounds for every person in the U.S.
•    The average tree in an urban/city area has a life expectancy of only 8 years.
•    More than 2.3 billion tree seedlings are planted in the United States each year.

Those trees played a part in our daily lives. Just after moving here, my late husband hung a single swing from one of the tree limbs. Under those trees, our daughters rode bikes, played on the sidewalk, watched the world go by, and played with their dad’s dog. As a family, we sat in the summer shade and played in the fall leaves. Later, my grandsons played with their toys in the dirt under the trees. I have many pictures of my children and grandchildren near those trees. One daughter joked that I was “cutting down her childhood memories.”

Neighbors have said that removing the trees “opened up my yard.” It does look different. Though we tend to take trees for granted, they are a necessity. I may add a young tree or two to my yard. A Chinese proverb says: “The best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago. The second best time is now.”



 

Tags: 


Bookmark and Share

Advertisements