Why plant trees?
Many books have been written on the remarkable lifecycle, role and value of trees and it is safe to say that human beings would struggle to survive in a world without them.
From cleaning the air we breathe to improving the curb-appeal of our streets and providing shade on a hot sunny day, we need trees.
Trees and woodland are vital for our environment, biodiversity, economy, industry, and the health and wellbeing of our communities. As some of the longest living plants on our planet, trees give us oxygen, store carbon, stabilise the soil and provide essential habitats for wildlife.
New woodland carefully placed in a rural river valley will, over time, help reduce flooding in the towns and cities further downstream. Whilst strategically placed urban woodland can help reduce the damaging impact of surface water flooding within our communities.
Urban trees help clean and cool the air in our towns and cities, making a significant contribution to our mental and physical wellbeing. Trees also encourage us to enjoy more time being active outside and help reduce our stress levels.
A well designed and maintained urban forest helps to boost investor confidence and create new jobs and businesses.
And of course, trees and woodlands, when carefully designed into the wider landscape, provide fantastic habitat for nature, protecting soil, water courses and species migration corridors to help wildlife adapt to a changing climate.
Trees are good for business, environment, nature and communities
Business
- Attracting and retaining investment
- Decarbonising supply chains
- Improving farm productivity
- Producing and selling timber and wood products
Environment
- Reducing the risk of flooding (water storage and slowing the flow)
- Reducing soil erosion, nutrient losses and pollution
- Improving air quality, providing urban cooling/shading and absorbing sound
- Capturing and storing carbon
Nature
- Providing unique and diverse habitats for wildlife
- Creating wildlife corridors and connecting habitats
- Shading and cooling watercourses for fish and other aquatic life
- Supporting pollinators with refuge and sources of food
Community
- Creating attractive places to live
- Providing accessible spaces for leisure and recreation
- Improving physical wellbeing and mental health
- Strengthening a sense of place and cultural heritage
Did you know?
- We share about 50% of our DNA with trees.
- Each growing season a young tree grows in thickness and in height, adding a whole new layer to itself that is visible in its annual rings.
- In Northern climates, coniferous trees stop growing in early July each year because they know when it is time to start preparing for winter.
- In the UK, as reported by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation in 2015, we had only 13% tree cover compared to a European Union average of 38%.