20 More Benefits of Trees

I guess it has become obvious that I have plenty of things to say about trees! (Almost as much as I have to say about wildlife). But I promise, this will be my last post about trees for awhile. (Sources for stats and other info are at the end of the post) 20 More Benefits of Trees Financial and Environmental Benefits of Trees

1. Trees increase property values: Trees add as much as 20 percent to the value of your property. Studies also show that home values are higher on tree-lined streets. MC
   
2. Trees increased salability of homes: The majority of realtors surveyed believe that mature trees have a "strong or moderate impact" on the salability of homes. FCV
   
3. Trees increase Tourism - 700,000 tourists visit DC each year for the annual Cherry Blossom Festival. CT
   
4. Trees aid Commerce - Consumers are willing to spend 12% more in stores with trees in front of them than without. CT
   
5. Trees provide Job Opportunities -Natural resource management job opportunities are growing in cities. CT
   
6. Trees decrease heating bills up to 15 percent and cooling bills up to 50 percent. (DDOE)
7. Trees Reduce Noise Pollution - Trees act as buffers against roadways and other noise producing sources by absorbing unpleasant sounds from the urban environment. PT
8. Tree roots protect groundwater - Tree roots help stabilize soil which, if loose and prone to erosion, might be carried away by stormwater runoff. MC
9. Tree Leaves Protect Groundwater - Researchers have found that evergreens, conifers, and deciduous trees in full leaf can intercept up to 36 percent of the rainfall that hits them. MC Trees can keep 35,625 tons of sediment per square mile from entering waterways every year! DC.gov
10. Trees recharge groundwater - Tree roots help to move water from the surface into deeper layers of the soil. This helps recharge the groundwater supply. MC
11. Trees create organic matter on the soil surface from their leaf litter. MDNR Natural organic matter helps eliminate the need for chemical fertilizers
12. Trees provide screening; increasing privacy and reducing the impacts of lights FCV
13. Trees provide a wind break during winter. MDNR
14. Trees provide Healthy Air - The trees of Washington filter 540 tons of harmful, health-threatening pollutants from the air each year. CT One acre of trees absorbs enough carbon dioxide every year to offset 26,000 miles of automobile exhaust! dc.gov
15. Trees give off oxygen that we need to breathe.
    
16. Trees provide Cooling Shade - Trees provide shade and give off water vapor to cool the city in the summer. Homes shaded by trees have 10-30% savings in air conditioning costs compared to homes without shade. CT
    
17. Trees strengthen neighborhoods: When neighborhoods are full of trees, residents spend more time outside mingling with neighbors—building personal ties, stronger communities, and a greater sense of well being. MC Strengthening neighborhoods means people stay closer to home, which reduces environmental strains of commuting.
    
18. Trees improve air quality by removing small pollutant particulates (i.e. sulfur dioxide, ozone, etc.) (DDOE)
    
19. Trees reduce greenhouse gas emissions by taking up carbon dioxide (DDOE)
    
20. Trees mitigate the urban heat-island effect by shading our homes and streets. Urban and suburban temperatures are 2 to 10F (1 to 6C) hotter than nearby rural areas. (DDOE) For more information : Sources: Casey Trees (CT) Montgomery County Department of the Environment (MC) District Department of Transportation (DDOT) District Department of the Environment (DDOE) Fairfax County Virginia (FCV) DC.gov District Department of Transportation (DDOT) Maryland Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) Plano Texas (PT) Bowling Green Kentucky (BG)

George Washington University wins grant for GroW Gardens

George Washington University’s GroW Gardens has been providing fresh food to underserved Washingtonians since 2009.

And thanks to a new $10,000 grant from Nature’s Path, an organic food company, the community garden will be enhanced and expanded in order to serve more people.

The GroW Garden projects, which has its main location in Foggy Bottom on H Street between 23rd and 24th streets and a second location on the Mount Vernon Campus, is one of three grant recipients of this year’s Nature’s Path Gardens for Good Program. The program is designed to provide funding to further organic community feeding programs.

Click here to Read more

Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden Class Schedule

Fellow blogger Judy Thomas, author of the Central Virginia Organic Gardener Blog, loves Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden. She writes about the Botanical Garden often on her blog and has recently started taking some of their classes. Here is one of her posts, entitled Documenting Your Garden,  with some sketches she did while taking  botanical illustration courses at Ginter.

Judy thought that some of our readers might be interested in the schedule of classes at Ginter so she asked me to pass it along.

Here are some of their upcoming classes:

Spring Pruning for Shrubs / February 11

Beekeeping for Beginners / February 18, 25, March 3, 10 plus a field trip, date tbd

Planning and Designing a Kitchen Garden / February 23, March 1

Worms:  The Ultimate Disposal            February 23

The Dirt on Soil:  The Life under Your Feet / February 25

Vegetable Gardens the Organic Way /  March 8

Register on line or call.  LGBG is located at 1800 Lakeside Ave., Richmond VA 23226 (804) 262-9887

Here’s a link to Lewis Ginter’s full Classes and Course Schedule.

And don’t forget to check out Judy’s blog, as well as her great podcasts.

GardenWise 2012 - Worth the Trip

It's a bit of a drive, but the GardenWise 2012 Workshop in York, Pennsylvania on Saturday, March 10th 2012 , from 8:00am to 3:30 pm, looks like it might be worth the trip.

Susan Reed, author of the award winning Energy-Wise Landscaping Design, will share ideas and tips you can easily incorporate into your landscape.

Dr. Michael Raupp from the University of Maryland will take you on a fascinating journey to learn “why bugs and plants make the world go round”.

In between you can attend sessions on growing vegetables sustainably, using cover crops in the garden, heirloom and open pollinated plants, biorational pesticides and beneficial insects, or native plants and their role in garden design.

Early bird registration (on or before February 21) is $49.00 and includes a full day of gardening talks, handouts, continental breakfast, and lunch. To register, call Kelly at 717-840-7408 and request a GardenWise brochure. Or go online to http://extension.psu.edu/york. Register early, as space is limited.

Friday Fun - Create a #natureverse

I was standing outside, feeling my morning dose of awe and wonder that nature always seems to provide, and I decided I would come in and try to stir up some shared awe.

So I came up with a short free form poem about what I felt outside, came up with an unused twitter hashtag for it, (#natureverse) and decided to see if I can encourage others to write their own natureverse.

Go outside. Stand still and look around until you become inspired. Then come tweet what you felt. Make it short enough to include the hashtag #natureverse and save room for your twitter name and an @RT if you want others to be able to share it.

Here is mine:

As I stood, silently watching the morning unfold, I saw the sun glisten off a single strand of spider silk and I felt peace. #natureverse

Have fun!