They help clean our water and our air. And they can help draw tourists and boost real estate values in American cities. In a speech to the National Urban Forest Conference, Glickman said he is asking each Governor to establish a Millennium Grove and work with USDA on efforts to expand urban green space. Glickman also announced that he is asking Congressional leaders to permanently authorize the Urban and Community Forestry Program through the Land and Water Conservation Fund, no longer leaving the program at the mercy of the whims of the appropriations process. Last year, this program provided technical assistance and community-based grants to over 10,000 communities to promote urban greenery.
Trees act as buffers that keep pollutants out of our water supply.
They also serve as carbon sinks, capturing greenhouse gases and emitting clean oxygen. While asphalt and buildings trap heat, trees are natural coolants. Cooler air means lower energy bills. Around Puget Sound, more than half the land has less than 20 percent tree-canopy coverage, compared to only a quarter of the land in the early 1960s. Metropolitan Atlanta has lost over 60 percent of its tree-cover over the last 25 years.