Trees From their roots buried deep within the earth, all the way up to the highest tip-top

branches, trees are on-the-job, working for us 24 hours a day. That big tree in your backyard, the street trees along the road way, the hundred-year-old trees you see in the neighborhood park and even the youngest trees just a few inches tall they all work together to help make our planet habitable. Trees are the green lungs of our city. Through photosynthesis, trees take in carbon dioxide and replenish oxygen, producing the clean, healthy air we need to survive. The work that our urban trees do also includes air, soil and water clean-up, flood protection, and energy efficiency. Trees increase real estate values, provide habitat for birds and other creatures, control noise pollution, fight soil erosion and provide recreation and inspiration for people, young and old alike. In fact, Dan Burden, Senior Urban Designer at Walkable Communities, Inc. concluded that Although care and maintenance of trees in urban places is a costly task, the value in returned benefits is so great that a sustainable community cannot be imagined without these important green features. Trees help reduce heating and cooling costs. Researchers have found that well-shaded streets can be as much as 10 F cooler than those without street trees. The U.S. Forest Service says that parking lots with shade trees can keep automobiles cooler, which reduces emissions from fuel tanks and engines. The American Public Power Association says that landscaping, including properly placed trees, can reduce air conditioning costs by up to 50 percent by shading the walls and windows of homes. Similarly, trees effectively sited around homes and other buildings can save from 20 50 percent in energy used for heating. Trees reduce stormwater runoff and flooding, a benefit especially valuable in the City of Norfolk, where low-lying areas and more than 140 miles of shoreline make the city susceptible to flooding. According to Dan Burden, Trees absorb the first 30 percent of most precipitation through their leaf system, allowing evaporation back into the atmosphere. This moisture never hits the ground. Another percentage (up to 30 percent) of precipitation is absorbed back into the ground and taken in and held onto by the root structure. This can add up to a lot of water : The Southern Center for Urban Forestry reports that 100 mature trees intercept about 100,000 gallons of rainfall per year in their crowns. Trees trap and filter pollutants such as dust, ash, smoke and pollen with their leaves. Trees soak up hydrocarbons and also help to reduce ozone, a key component of smog. For Norfolk and other Hampton Roads cities, where ozone sometimes approaches unhealthy levels on hot summer days, this is an especially important benefit of planting and maintaining our urban trees.

Trees can increase property values. Real estate values increase when a neighborhood is beautified with trees. Researchers at the International City/County Management Association found that landscaping, especially with trees, can increase property values as much as 20 percent. Other studies have shown that shade from trees extends the life of road and other paved surfaces, and can even increase traffic safety. People slow down when driving through a treed scape, which gives them more time to respond and react to traffic conditions, pedestrians, and bicyclists. You might view trees as an essential part of our urban infrastructure, as important for the efficient functioning of a city as are sewer lines, roads and bridges, and electrical wires. Or, you might see a tree as urban sculpture, providing inspiration in its lofty heights. Either way, youd be right!