Trees Are Grown to Save The World.

Environmental issues that the world faces today are related with environmental changes which bring major effects to earth. Among major causes which we feel have brought unwanted results to environment are pollution and climate change.

Pollution is one negative result made by human activities. Carbon emission, trash, oil spills, and pesticides are the main causes of pollution in our environment.

Climate change is another unwanted result of human activities which gives serious ecosystem disruption in the form that we all know as global warming. Global warming happens because rising temperature of the earth and it causes some consequences like melting ice in the earth poles, decreasing glaciers, the rise of sea levels, more occurrence of extreme weathers, heat waves, droughts, species extinctions, decreasing crop yields which cause food scarcity.

Human and trees make reciprocal effects due to activities in their life. A lot of trees in our tropical rain forest are cut and exploited for the shake of development, many trees have gone and now we feel the negative influence caused by deforestation. Floods and landslides have taken place at several areas, wild animals lost their habitats and forage for food at human settlements and many animals become more endangered or extinct.

Trees, on the other hand if they are conserved and treated appropriately, give countless benefits including foods, shelter, protections to human and other creatures, save them from disasters, and even heal and recover on spoiled/damaged lands so they can be dwelt again.

Green Belts:

• Green belt areas which have important functions as oxygen supply and as lung of the city.

One acre of forest absorbs six tons of carbon dioxide and puts out four tons of oxygen. this enough to meet the annual needs of 18 people-U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Healthy air replenishment.

Trees help settle out, trap and hold pollutants that harm human lungs. With the pores (stomata) on their leaf surface, trees absorb CO² and other dangerous gasses and refresh the atmosphere with O² they produce. The absorption of CO² by an acre of woods for one year will be equal to the amount a car produces when we drive it 26,000 miles.

Trees for energy saving.

Trees help cool the environment by providing shades and water vapors. The evaporation of water from a fully grown tree (a mature trees with a 30-foot canopy) transpires equal to 40 gallons of water.per day !. Isn't that amazing ?.

Trees provide functions both as wind breakers during winter time so that cold winds can be blocked. They also play role as coolants in summer time by both giving shades and also water evaporation from their leaves. Around 50% of electricity bill spent for air conditioning can be saved by planting trees around and inside home.

Soil and Water conservation.

• Lands grown by trees have functions as catchment area to keep water reserve as well as water absorption to prevent floods.

A catchment is an area that catches rainfall and directs it to a creek, river, reservoir, or a gutter. Water catchments feed the reservoirs that provide the citizen's drinking water, water irrigations, and enable us to make a living .

Trees also maintain our water quality.Tree canopies and root systems slow and reduce storm water runoff, flooding and erosion. Trees also help filter water runoff reducing potential sources of water pollution into our rivers.

• Reduce the green house effects, help fight climate change.

Green house effects take place when entering heat from the sun to the atmosphere is prevented from radiating back to the space because of being blocked by polluting gasses. Almost 50% of green house effects is caused by CO² and trees play essential roles in facing this condition by absorbing CO² in the photosynthesis proses and use the carbon for their cellulose formation and release O² into the air that we need for breathing.

Hot temperature in many cities is also caused Heat Island Effects. Heat Island Effects are conditions when cities have higher temperature than suburb areas because there are many constructions in the city which trap and generate heats like concretes, asphalt and hardened streets and roads.

Trees have proven to give advantages as natural air conditioner against Heat Island Effects.

Trees Increase Aesthetic and Economic Values.

We all agree that nothing compares to the beauty created by trees. Here are other indispensable benefits of aesthetic values that trees can give.

• Trees give properties higher selling points. 83% to 98% of realtors believe that mature trees have a strong or moderate impact on saleability of homes ( Arbor National Mortgage) and according to Management Information Services/ICMA landscaping with trees can increase property values up to 20%.
• Trees can be a stimulus to economic development, attracting new business and tourism. Commercial retail areas are more attractive to shoppers, apartments rent more quickly, tenants stay longer, and space in a wooded setting is more valuable to sell or rent. "-The Arbor Day Foundation.

Medicines from Trees.

Trees offer thousand even million benefits in medications. Many kinds of trees have been proven scientifically and medically useful in industrial and medical worlds.

Here are xamples of Trees which have been developed commercially in industrial scale :

Turmeric (curcuma sp) is commonly used for liver disorders (hepatitis)

Bay leave (Syzygium polyanthum) is used for diabetic cure.

Quinine (Cinchona succirubra) is medically tested for malaria

Noni(Morinda citrifolia, Linn.) has been commercially developed for hypertension and yellow fever.

Soursop (Annona muricata), very rich in various vitamins and has been developed as cancer medicine.

Cananga (Cananga odorata) and Rose (Rosa sp) , widely used in perfume industries.

Soapnuts (Sapindus sp), has been used as natural soap which is environmentally friendly.

Guava (Psidium guajava), mango (Mangifera indica) have been cultivated world wide due to their in high Vitamin C content.

and there many, many more kinds of trees which have been known and utilized for human well beings and there also many trees in nature which are still unidentified and grow in the wild due to the lack of our knowledge.

Trees support many organisms. They provide shelter, food, protections, nests, rest, and sites for reproductions and have become places where animals have their niches. Developments of roads, water reservoirs, logging, and industries have changed and decreased forests and in turn have also disrupted or even totally destructed animals' niches and habitats. This conditions have caused many animal species to become endangered and even many have been extinct.

What can we do with trees to save rare, endangered animals ?.

One of the essential actions to show your participation in protecting animal existence is by conserving their habitats. Trees as the main factor in animal habitats must be protected to exist and grow in size, area coverage, diversities to meet the conditions required by a habitat.

Stop deforestation by minimizing the uses of paper and by recycling paper. The less paper we use the more trees can be saved and recycle 1 tons of paper can save around 17 big trees.

Trees which are grown around the house at appropriate, strategic locations will save your electricity bill up to 30%.

• Plant large deciduous trees (trees that lose their leaves in the fall) like oak, maple and cherry at west, and east sides of home will cool house during summer and give warmth in winter.

• Plant at the west and northwest locations to give late and afternoon shades. Cut the lower branches to avoid view blocking.
• trees or shrubs planted over patios, driveways and air conditioner units help cool the house/building more efficiently.

• Plant evergreen conifer trees like umbrella pine, spruce, cedar lebanon, larch, and fir at north and northwest locations. They will function as wind breakers to block cold winter winds. As an illustration, winter wind with speed of 35 m/hour will slower to 10-15 mph with the presence of wind breakers. We don't plant deciduous types at north nor northwest since they will lose their leaves, thus they aren't effective to block winter winds. With wind breakers at north and northwest, the cost to heat up home can be lowered up to 30%.
• To achieve effective windbreaks, plant the trees at a distance of one or two tree heights from the house.