TREES & the ENVIRONMENT

Trees are a distinct part of habitat biodiversity. They sustain vibrant ecosystems that support wildlife populations and contribute significantly to bird, animal, plant, and insect diversity.

Trees also:

• stabilize the soil and filter polluted water.
• reduce cooling & heating requirements, resulting in conserved energy demands.
• preserve and foster air quality by removing carbon dioxide (C02) and airborne pollutants.
• abate visual and noise pollution.
• provide welcome shade and protection from UV rays.
• add color and interest to the landscape.
• Studies show:

• Trees provide a psychological boost to communities; people are generally more satisfied with their neighborhoods if there are trees.
• Workers are more productive when trees are around their place of employment.
• Hospital patients recover faster if they can see trees outside their windows.

How Heritage Trees support vibrant ecosystems:

Individual trees, groves, shelterbelts, avenues, and hedgerows;

• Help the soil to retain valuable moisture, not just around the base but for a considerable area surrounding it.
• Bare soil directly exposed to rain has the potential for serious erosion. Rainfall is a primary contributor to soil erosion. Leaves help prevent erosion by intercepting and softening the impact of the rain droplets. Leaf litter or organic mulches further reduce the potential for erosion.
• The mixed age of stands and forests is an important criterion in ensuring long term stable ecosystems.
• Trees affect the water cycle by reducing erosion and protecting watersheds.
• Conifers planted on a slope can slow down the movement of cold air that normally moves to low points, which prevents frost pockets.

Arboretums

• Often contain introduced species that have adapted to our climate and survived, thus providing a valuable gene pool for seedlings.

Shelterbelts

• Protection from soil erosion due to wind & water
• They act as a trap for winter snow to provide a valuable source of spring moisture for crops, pastures, gardens and dugouts.
• Preserving wetland and riparian buffers on farms provides valuable wildlife habitat, and helps to protect groundwater resources while providing a measure of protection against drought.
• Farm shelterbelts and woodland habitats attract beneficial insects or predators that feed on agricultural pests.

• Old trees provide long term ecosystem stability.
• Old trees contain genetic pools that have proven resilience and health, providing established offspring that will continue to support diversity for the habitats they reside in.
• Old growth forest serves as a reservoir for species which cannot thrive or easily regenerate in younger forest, and as such can be used as a baseline for research.
• Older trees provide more extensive root systems aiding in the reduction of soil erosion.
• Old growth forests store large amounts of carbon, both above and below ground. These forests collectively represent a significant pool of climate gases.
• Some species of plants and wildlife can only occur where there are old trees.

• Tall trees provide a layered canopy which supports diversity.

• One large tree provides climatic, energy and environmental benefits equal to hundreds of new saplings.

• Trees with large canopies are able to process more CO2 and release (transpiration) more moisture into the air. Thus helping to reduce energy requirements for cooling.
• Larger canopies provide more soil retention, cooling and shade.
• Trees and plants control solar radiation. Leaves are responsible for intercepting, reflecting, absorbing and transmitting solar radiation.

• Trees that have survived where others have not, contain genetic pools with proven resilience and health. They can provide established offspring that will continue to support diversity for the habitats they reside in.

• Native Species that have established themselves in a region not common to their natural range may be an indication of the natural progression of forest succession. They are anomalies worthy for their ability to grow outside their natural range.