I love trees. They are aesthetically pleasing, they provide shade, they give the birds a place to live, the squirrels a place to nest, they keep water from running off into a storm drain, they help stop wind damage and clean the air. Another fun thing about trees, one that I can no longer do, is climb them.
I found this 1993 Mike McAliney quote from about the benefit of trees to be significant: "A single mature tree can absorb carbon dioxide at a rate of 48 lbs./year and release enough oxygen back into the atmosphere to support 2 human beings." (Source: Arguments for Land Conservation: Documentation and Information Sources for Land Resources Protection, Trust for Public Land, Sacramento, CA, December 1993.
At https://www.arborday.org/trees/benefits.cfm, I found this U.s. Department of Agriculture quote. "One acre of forest absorbs six tons of carbon dioxide and puts out four tons of oxygen. This is enough to meet the annual needs of 18 people." Another benefit of trees stated on the website is, "Trees properly placed around buildings can reduce air conditioning needs by 30 percent and can save 20–50 percent in energy used for heating."
Trees, as well as being beautiful, are good for our health, since we need oxygen to live. How interesting that the trees that beautify our yards have such an effect on the temperatures in our homes. It is certainly a benefit in Crestview and Northwest Florida. We all may need to plant more trees to shade our homes.
It frustrates me greatly when I see trees cut down for shopping centers and new homes. I realize that we need progress and growth, but must they cut down the majority of the trees? It is nice to park in the shade when one is shopping, as it helps keep the car cool during the summer.
Why can't developers do some strategic planning and keep many of the trees and work around them? It seems they want to do it the easy way and not be bothered with the planning it would take to keep the trees. My mother refuses to shop at Lowe's in her hometown as they cut down all the trees in the parking lot.
Please developers, keep more trees in shopping centers. We need them to park under, and we need them to clean the air of pollutants.
Janice Lynn Crose, a former accountant, lives in Crestview with her husband, Jim; her two rescue collies, Shane and Jasmine; and two cats, Kathryn and Prince Valiant.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: The benefits of trees