Just as Ireland is famously known as the Emerald Isle for its lush green landscapes, so are those communities that plant and enhance their urban forests. In the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day, it’s not an exaggeration to say that “it’s a lucky thing to have trees!”
 
Urban forests play a critical role in our daily lives by making our world both greener and cleaner! Trees provide a lifetime of environmental and health benefits at a nominal cost – and that can save us a lot of green, too! How lucky is that!
 
Here are just some of the ways our Urban Forest help us:
 

• Roadside trees reduce nearby indoor air pollution by 50%. (Lancaster University, United Kingdom, 2013)
• Office workers with a view of trees report significantly less stress and more satisfaction.(Chungbuk National university, South Korea, 2007)
• One large tree can provide a day’s supply of oxygen for up to four people. (North Carolina State University)
• Trees lower surface and air temperatures by providing shade; shaded surfaces may be 20-45 degrees Fahrenheit cooler than peak temperatures of unshaded material (U.S. EPA)
• Trees absorb carbon dioxide, removing and storing the carbon while releasing oxygen
• Properly placed trees around a building can reduce air condition needs by 30% and can save 20-50% in heating energy (U.S. Forest Service)
• Trees provide vital wildlife habitat (U.S. Forest Service)
• Trees help reduce crime (Arbor Day Foundation)
• Trees increase property values
• Every dollar spent on planting and caring for a community tree yields benefits that are 2-5 times that investment. (U.S. Forest Service, 2011)

 
Now imagine all the trees in your community and what they do for you, your neighbors, and your neighbor’s neighbor and so on. Talk about money growing on trees, you should be seeing green everywhere. So, how lucky are we to have urban trees……I would say luckier than all the four leaf clovers in Ireland. They say the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago; the next best time is now, so join in and plant a tree today.