We often talk about the importance of the ‘urban forest’: the trees planted in our suburban backyards, along city streets, and in community parks and greenspaces.
Trees don’t just make our cities more beautiful (although they’re definitely good at that), they also improve the health of people and the planet. In this article, we explore five key benefits of a thriving urban forest.
This article includes data from a range of interesting studies, check out the links at the bottom of the article if you’d like to learn more!
Better air quality
Trees are great at improving air quality; they add oxygen to the air and absorb pollutants, which is particularly useful in busy city environments. Trees also remove carbon dioxide from the air, helping to offset the climate pollution from the cars that fill our city streets.
Better air quality can have a huge impact on the next generation; a 2018 study of 15,000 Kiwis found that children who lived in greener areas had a 6% lower risk of asthma.
Better temperatures
Did you know that temperatures in the city are higher than temperatures in nearby rural areas? All those concrete footpaths and asphalt roads are great at soaking up heat, which they then radiate back into the atmosphere. Add in more vehicles on the roads - leading to more waste heat - and it creates a significant impact. In Christchurch, this ‘urban heat island’ effect can raise the temperature by up to 11 degrees!
Trees help to reduce heat by providing shade, deflecting the heat from the sun, and releasing cooling moisture into the air. As well as making the city more comfortable to spend time in, this reduces the amount of energy we use on air conditioning.
Better habitats for wildlife
Increasing our urban forest - especially by planting more native trees - is a huge part of helping our native bird species to thrive.
Wellington’s Zealandia ecosanctuary is a stunning example of this. It’s responsible for attracting a huge amount of native birdlife back to the city, and locals can now see tūī and kererū in suburbs across Wellington. If you’d like to help, try planting some native trees on your property; you might be surprised by the visitors they attract!
Better mental health
Have you ever noticed that you feel calmer after spending time in nature? Exposure to trees has been shown to reduce cortisol, the stress hormone that triggers your flight or fight response. Multiple studies have found that people are happier and less anxious on days when they spend time in forests, parks and other greenspaces.
Interestingly, the more stressed the study participants were, the greater the positive effect! So next time you feel yourself getting overwhelmed, head out to a local park to re-centre yourself.
Better physical health
Out of 19 international studies that focused on the link between trees and physical activity, 18 found that trees had a positive impact! In areas with urban forests more young people walk or bike to school, children are more likely to play outside, and more adults walk recreationally.
It makes sense: when your neighbourhood includes beautiful parks and serene tree-lined streets, it’s much more tempting to head outside for your daily exercise.
The bigger the better
Mature trees provide more benefits than young trees, so while it’s important to keep growing our urban forest it’s just as important to look after the trees we’ve already got.
Treetech is incredibly proud to work with the Christchurch City Council to maintain and protect the trees that line our streets, parks, and community spaces. It’s all part of leading the way to a greener tomorrow.
References:
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/12/4371
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41477-018-0151-8
https://sustaintrust.org.nz/blog/urban-heat-islands
