Urban Trees: Heath and Wealth

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Welcome to April, a time when the world wakes up from winter and everything starts to bloom again. You’ve probably noticed the trees in your neighborhood getting all green and flowery—isn’t it lovely? Did you know those trees are doing more than just looking pretty? They’re like superheroes for our health and our wallets.

Let’s talk about health first. The trees you see in your neighborhood are like natural air filters, cleaning up the air we breathe and making it fresher. They also help us feel less stressed and more focused, which is super important, especially in busy cities. And get this—being around trees has been shown to make us feel better both mentally and physically.

Now, let’s talk money. Having trees around can actually make your property worth more. That’s because people love living in neighborhoods with lots of trees.  It makes everything look nicer and feel safer, but here’s the cool part: even though taking care of trees costs money (about $13 a year on average), they can save you money in the long run (about $65 a year on average). How? Well, they help keep your house cooler in the summer, so you spend less on air conditioning. Plus, they’re great at soaking up rainwater, which can help prevent flooding in your neighborhood. You can calculate the benefits of planting trees on your property using i-Tree, a great tool that you can find here:  https://www.itreetools.org/.

So, next time you’re out enjoying the beauty of April’s blossoms, take a moment to thank the trees for all they do. They might just be standing there, but they’re quietly improving our lives in many ways.