Skip to content

Benefits of Trees

How the urban forest helps our communities

Trees are an easy solution to many of the climate issues facing our city, country, and world today. They help us in so many ways, from cleaning our air and water to keeping us cool on hot days and everything in between. It’s impossible to mention every benefit of trees, but we’ve gathered a few of our favorites below. These facts come from our friends at the Arbor Day Foundation. Visit their website for even more information.

Trees and Physical Health

Ask anyone about the benefits of trees, and the answer is frequently, “they clean the air!” Trees do this, and so much more.

  • Trees clean the air by absorbing pollutants, like carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide. A mature urban tree can capture up to 50 pounds of particulates a year.
  • Trees lower air temperature through transpiration and can reduce surrounding air temperatures by as much as 7.2ºF during the summer.
  • Standing under the shade of a tree can protect from sunburn.
    Adults and children who are active in green settings see improvements in their cognitive thinking and reasoning abilities.
  • Trees reduce stormwater runoff, which reduces the amount of pollutants and organic matter that can reach our streams and rivers.
  • One mature deciduous tree can intercept 500-700 gallons of water per year. A mature evergreen an intercept more than 4,000 gallons!
    Trees reduce the levels of nitrogen and phosphorus that leach into groundwater.

Trees and Mental Health

  • Exposure to green space within 1,000 meters around homes was associated with reduced aggressive behaviors.
  • Nature creates vital green spaces and improves social contact among neighbors.
  • Desk workers with outdoor window views are more productive and have fewer sick days.
  • Views of natural scenes from hospital windows reduce the length of postoperative hospital stays.
  • Children’s cognitive development improves when they interact with surrounding green spaces, especially at schools.
  • A 50-minute walk in a natural urban green space increases memory performance and provides cognitive and affective benefits for people suffering from depression.

Trees and the Economy

  • Urban trees and forests annually reduce electricity use by 38.8 million megawatt hours ($4.7 billion).
  • Having large trees in yards along streets increases a home’s value from 3 percent to 15 percent.
  • People who shop in well-treed central business districts will spend 9 to 12 percent more for products.