Trees also exert great influence on the environment and yield many products useful to themselves, wildlife and mankind. Over 5,000 different products come from trees. In growing, a tree uses carbon dioxide and water to produce great quantities of oxygen through photosynthesis. It also transpires moisture into the air thus increasing the relative humidity and cooling the air. Tree leaves serve many functions they manufacture food for the tree, shade the area, serve as baffles to harsh noises and other sounds, provide settling surfaces for dust particles, intercept surfaces for rain and snow, and when dead, furnish nutrients and organic matter to the soil.
Trees add greatly to the aesthetics of an area, helping to soothe the soul of all mankind.
They also furnish food, shelter and a favorable habitat for many kinds of birds, insects, and other animals. In winter, they tend to make the area warmer by reducing wind velocity. They tend to cool the area around them in the summer through shade and transpiration. Tree roots penetrate to great depths in the soil to obtain nutrients and moisture needed for growth. In so doing, they create many tiny channels in the soil so that rainfall can percolate down into the earth and recharge the underground water supply.