From helping to clean our water to providing food and shelter, relieving our stress, and promoting jobs, the benefits of trees to people and the environment are well documented. In addition to releasing clean oxygen for us to breathe, trees play a critical role in improving air quality by removing air pollutants and greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. In the contiguous United States alone, urban trees remove an estimated 711,000 metric tons of air pollution every year.
For many communities around the world, poor air quality is a critical issue that negatively impacts human health, damages landscapes and ecosystems, reduces visibility, and more. Air pollution in the form of particulate matter is linked to a range of human health conditions including bronchitic symptoms, increased risk for glaucoma, heart attacks, changes in vascular function, autism, high blood pressure, cognitive development problems in children, heart failure, and increased mortality.
Here's how a few common air pollutants have been known to impact human health:
Do trees help with air pollution? Absolutely. According to the US National Park Service, planting trees helps to improve air quality through 3 key impacts:
These impacts combine to create powerful, lasting effects for the the communities where trees are planted.
The Two main types of pollutants that trees remove from the atmosphere:
Trees produce oxygen through a process that you've probably heard of; photosynthesis. The tree's leaves absorb carbon dioxide and water from the air, and use solar energy to convert it into chemical compounds, including sugars, that it can consume as food. Oxygen is a by-product of this process and is released by the tree. It has been estimated that, thanks to this process, one large tree can provide a day's supply of oxygen for up to 4 people.
In addition to absorbing airborne pollutants and releasing clean oxygen for us to breathe, trees absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and use it to build their leaves, branches, trunks, roots, and the soil.
To determine the amount of carbon dioxide a tree can absorb, we combine average planting densities with a conservative estimate of carbon per hectare to estimate that the average tree absorbs an average of 10 kilograms, or 22 pounds, of carbon dioxide per year during the first 20 years of growth.
That adds up to a powerful impact on our climate, but it's just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the benefits of trees and forests. Want to be part of the solution? Support reforestation today!
Meaghan works to share our story far and wide, manages our blog calendar, coordinates with the team on projects + campaigns, and ensures our brand voice is reflected across channels. With a background in communications and an education in environmental conservation, she is passionate about leveraging her creativity to help the environment!
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