Benefits of Trees

Trees provide a plethora of benefits, these include:

Reduced Heat Island Effect - Trees reduce both air and ground surface temperatures locally. Not only by shading the areas beneath their canopies, but also by transpiration - the release of water through the leaves. This reduces the temperature of the air around them, along with sidewalks, roadways, and homes beneath them. This leads to lower cooling costs for your home in the summer time, and lower temperatures at night due to less heat being absorbed by roadways and sidewalks. Shaded surfaces are 20-45°F than unshaded areas, and air temperatures in their vicinity by 10°F.

Increase of Property Values - Because of the benefits provided directly to a property and the neighboring area (reduced cooling costs, positive mental health affiliations, reduced storm water runoff, carbon sequestering) the costs of properties is higher than those without by 2%-35%!

Mental & Physical Health Benefits - Trees provide an array of both mental and physical health benefits including boosts the immune system, lowers blood pressure, reduces stress, improves mood, increases ability to focus, even in children with ADHD, accelerates recovery from surgery or illness, increases energy level, and improves sleep.

Trees provide oxygen - Trees provide oxygen as a bi-product of photosynthesis, the urban forests in the US provide oxygen for around 2/3 of the us population.

Trees cleans water and reduces stormwater runoff - A medium sized tree can intercept up to 2,380 gallons of water a year! with a robust urban forest the local area suffers less erosion and requires less water treatment of stormwater as the trees help reduce the impacts of heavy rains. The majority of Oregon’s 4.2 million residents get their drinking water from large community water systems, many of which rely on forested watersheds for their source water. 

Trees can help reduce crime - Neighborhoods with homes fronted with street trees experience lower crime rates, according to a study conducted in Portland, Oregon. The same statistic holds true for homes with large yard trees. These results hold for total-crime rates as well as specific property crimes such as vandalism and burglary. 

With all these benefits it is important to provide proper care for your arbor assets, improper pruning and unnecessary removals can have negative impacts on your property and neighborhood. You should always consult with an ISA Certified Arborist before doing any work. Those who are not certified with the ISA lack the proper knowledge and education to provide quality care.