Trees can screen and buffer us from unwelcome sights, sounds and dust. They protect soils from erosion and waters from pollution. Trees improve air quality by trapping and holding dust particles. The leaves absorb carbon dioxide and other poisonous gases, and release oxygen back into the atmosphere. One acre of trees provides oxygen for eighteen people and will absorb the amount of carbon dioxide each year equivalent to that produced by a car driven twenty-six thousand miles.
Research indicates that people linger and shop longer along tree-lined streets.
Apartments and offices in wooded areas rent more quickly and keep tenants longer than those in non-wooded locations. Healthy, mature trees add about ten percent to a property's value. A vibrant community forest provides an ecosystem where a diversity of wildlife can survive and thrive. The more trees and shrubs, the more wildlife species are attracted. Birds help control insects that we consider pests.