Not only do they beautify the landscape around us, they also provide some tangible benefits. Trees around a house provide summer shade and help cut down on cooling costs. They serve as wind breaks in the winter, reducing heating bills. Trees keep soil from eroding and absorb storm runoff. They convert carbon dioxide into oxygen, cleaning the air.
Trees serve as noise buffers between subdivisions and shopping centers.
Many challenges face Savannah and its urban forest in the near future. In its most recent report, The State of the Trees III, issued in 1998, the Savannah Tree Foundation, a local non-profit advocacy group, suggested some recommendations for future city planning with regard to trees. Develop a master plan for the removal and planting of trees throughout the public areas of the city, particularly on the west and south sides of Savannah. Plantings should outnumber removals. Inventory vacant city property and, where possible, develop it into public parks.