Have you Hugged a Tree Lately?

When it comes to environmental workhorses, one might only have to look out the window to see what may be the ultimate steward -- the humble tree.  What can a tree do for you?  PLENTY!  They help protect virtually every aspect of the environment. 

As global climate change causes temperatures to creep upward, we'll all enjoy the relief provided by the shade of nearby trees.  But beside this rather immediate relief from the heat, trees can help combat global climate change in other ways.

Trees take in carbon dioxide, the most well known greenhouse gas associated with climate change, and "store" it within the tree's mass.  At present this is the only practical way to remove large volumes of CO₂  from the atmosphere.

According to the American Forests organization, a tree removes about one ton of CO₂ from the atmosphere during the first 40 years after planting.  (The American Forest Web site features a "climate change calculator" that allows you to figure out how many trees you need to plant to absorb the CO₂ emissions  you generate.  Find it at www.americanforest.org/resources/ccc/.)

Shade provided by trees reduces the costs associated with cooling your home or business in the summer.  According to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, a well-planned landscape can reduce an unshaded home's summer air-conditioning costs by 15 to 50 percent.

The energy savings during colder months can be substantial, too.  A study in South Dakota showed that heating costs could by cut from 25 to 40 percent when trees were used as a windbreak.

Although a bulging root can wreak havok on a lawn mower blade, a tree's root system does a top-notch job of helping to keep water resources clean.  Above ground, trees stabilize soil and prevent erosion caused by stormwater runoff.

But root systems do some amazing stuff underground, too.  Root systems serve to filter and cleanse water percolating down to the water table.  This translates in to cleaner drinking water for the 70 percent of Minnesotans that get their supplies from underground aquifers.

And beyond that, trees are being used specifically to clean up soil and ground water at some contaminated sites.  Research has shown that fast-growing poplar trees seem to be particularly adept at breaking down hydrocarbons associated with petroleum spill, or taking up halogenated solvents and heavy metals.

The benefits listed above are only a start.  Want learn more?  A good place to start is the Department of Natural Resources' Web site at www.dnr.state.mn.us/forestry.

~A Walker Smith 

Taken from "Minnesota Environment" a publication of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency"