Dayton "Dirt" Green Blog - February 2010

Recently in October, the Ohio Research & Development Center featured a program titled “Why Trees Matter”.

The sundry benefits of community trees as presented in the program include:

- Key to environmental health
- Energy savings for homeowners
- A healthy community
- Healthier lives
- Wildlife habitat
- Trees provide food
- Protect watersheds
- Increased property values
- Promote a more successful local and regional economy

Without going into lengthy detail, no one can argue that trees are important to our local communities and to our planet as a whole.

In many towns and cities, we have become complacent about the Urban Forest as to the care if needs and the planting of trees replacements.

Many years ago, Denver, Colorado had planted a magnificent urban forest only to have it drastically decline from years of neglect.

Now the city has made great strides in the past few years to replace its emerald cloak.

Even here in Ohio when the great American Elms were devastated by the Dutch Elm Disease, the scramble was on to find “the” American Elm that would not succumb to the disease.

Without a doubt trees especially are a must for urban environments and should not be perceived as a luxury commodity.

The program presented at the OARDC rightly tries to quantify the benefits of trees in a monetary way as this aspect can be measured.

The other properties such as beauty, feelings of well being, and simply living in a healthier environment are all more difficult to quantify and measure but these are just as important, if not more, as the benefits than can be more accurately measured.

I like the quote from L. Merrier as it seems to sum everything up well on a statement about trees:

To plant a tree is
An act of faith in the earth
An act of hope for the future
An act of humanity towards
Coming generations who will
Enjoy its fruits after we
Shall be gone

My own opinion is that the OARDC (Secrest Arboretum) programs about trees and other aspects of our natural world will educate the public so that we and the next generation have enough sense to protect and preserve out natural heritage.

Tom