5 Reasons to Plant a Tree

It’s all too easy for trees to blend into the background. In the Northwest, they’re all around us — lining our city streets, filling our parks, and covering distant hillsides in a sea of green. They stake their place in the landscape for decades (and even centuries), offering countless benefits but only rarely receiving the acknowledgement they deserve. To celebrate Arbor Day, let’s take a closer look at trees and our relationship to these majestic giants.

Globally, trees provide almost a third of the oxygen we breathe — and that’s just the start of the benefits they provide.. They shape our landscapes so drastically that it’s hard to imagine life without them. When they’re lost, like when a wildfire cuts through a forest or a beloved street tree falls, their absence speaks volumes. As much as we need trees, they rely on us in return. From conserving fractured natural habitat to planting them in our communities, we find ourselves as stewards of the worldwide canopy that sustains so much life.

In Portland, over 50% of the urban forest is on private property. That means that homeowners and businesses play a massive role in collaboratively managing this dynamic landscape. From the roots to the canopy, planting a tree makes a powerful impact that lasts for generations.

5 Reasons to Plant a Tree

It's hard to narrow the playing field to just 5 reasons, so comment below with what we missed!

The Livability Factor

A neighborhood filled with trees is simply a better place to live. Tree canopy enhances the perception and aesthetic appeal of a space, but those impacts go far beyond the surface. Our brains have evolved to be closely attuned to the sights and sounds of nature, so bringing nature into our communities has a positive effect on stress levels and promotes mental health. 

The Habitat Factor

More than any other plant in your garden, trees make space for wildlife. A mature tree is an ecosystem unto itself, often supporting hundreds of insects that become a feast for the birds and small mammals that make their homes in the branches. Every part of a tree can provide habitat, from the soil at its roots to the cracks in its bark to the canopy — and this habitat only gets bigger and better as the tree matures.

The Environmental Factor

Do you like healthy air, healthy water, and healthy soil? Trees help maintain all of these environmental needs and more.

Like our roads, pipes, and stormwater drains, trees are living infrastructure. Their ability to clean the air and produce oxygen is one of their best known features. Those oxygen-producing powers work by storing that carbon in their tissues, so living trees are long-term carbon sinks that help offset emissions. Trees absorb and filter stormwater, reducing flooding and pollution while holding onto that precious moisture. They also stabilize and enhance the soil by adding organic matter, increasing aeration, and reducing erosion. When you consider the great feats of human engineering and the amount of resources that are required to address even one of these problems, it’s truly impressive that a tree can do it all.

The “Cool” Factor

When the summer sun is blazing, it’s obvious that trees are a huge asset to our comfort. The cooling effect of trees cannot be understated and, as our climate changes and hot days become more and more common, they are one of our most effective and affordable tools for cooling our communities. The shade they provide is critical, but they also radiate cool and moist air through evaporative cooling in their leaves. Neighborhoods with tree-lined streets can be 10 - 15º F cooler than their sun-baked counterparts.

The cooling effect is measurable: across the United States, existing trees save homeowners over 7% in residential energy costs. Those benefits can be even greater when you strategically plant shade trees on the south and west faces of a building to offset the blazing afternoon sun. You can feel the difference!

Leave a Greener Legacy

The old adage says that the time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best? Today! Planting a tree is an investment in future generations and, like an investment, the benefits compound over time as your maturing trees provide more and more benefits to people, wildlife, and the planet as a whole.

Ready to plant? Take a peek at Cornell Farm’s planting guide and start your journey to discovering the perfect tree!