It has become widely acknowledged that established trees will add between 6 - 11% to the market value of your home – especially in the front garden as part of the curb appeal. They are desired members of our streetscape and add a sense of maturity and care to the community.
Here are some of the many other benefits (and we keep adding more!) that we can think about as we decide when to plant trees and why it is so important for both City living and for the planet.
Shade, so necessary on hot days, also enables young children to play outside – children love being under trees.
Lower energy costs – cooling in summer and slowing winds in all seasons, savings that accumulate as trees mature.
Habitat for birds, mammals and all of nature’s mysteries and offerings.
11% drop in crime where trees are present in a community – trees bring out the caring side in all of us.
Continual visual fascination and wonder of tree shapes and of the dappled light they create.
Seasonal changes of springtime and readying for winter – Evergreen trees give winter presence in contrast to the open limb formations of deciduous trees.
Slowing of winds and retention of soil moisture during the important months of summer. All life benefits by this shared feature of tree canopies.
Enjoying the sounds of rustling leaves and reducing other sound intrusions of human activity.
Gathering the leaves onto flower beds for the soils to absorb and increase soil fertility – or into a compost pile; leaves are valuable in healing our soils.
During rains trees slow the physical impact and enable the water to enter the soil rather than run off. Tree roots are excellent at holding soils together structurally – and much less expensive than engineered solutions.
We want to be seen to be part of helping heal the planet – planting trees where we live is a commitment that we are part of the solution and will continue to be in the centuries to come.
So many benefits, and when we think about each of these, it adds to the reasons to be part of helping our planet become a healthier place for ourselves and generations to come. Planting trees is a healthy choice.