It’s easy to forget how many great things our trees do for us. Here’s a reminder of ten ways they help homeowners be happy all year round.
1. Trees Cool Your Home in the Summer
The US Department of Agriculture says a young tree cools your house as much as having 10 room-sized air conditioners running 20 hours per day. Shade makes a bigger difference than many of us think. And the bigger the tree, the bigger the benefit. Trees can cool your home and lower your air conditioning bills, as well.
2. Trees Keep Your Home Warmer in the Winter
By blocking the cold wind, evergreen trees raise the internal temperature of your home when it’s cold out, too. Deciduous trees, which lose their leaves in the fall, can also allow more sunlight to reach your walls and roof, allowing your home to get the full benefit of whatever rays from the winter sun can reach your home’s exterior. Your doors and windows do not need to be as insulated when the trees are running interference for you.
3. Trees Improve Your Air Quality
An average tree can remove 22 pounds of carbon dioxide from the air each year, and can produce around 100,000 liters of oxygen each year. This works out to about half of what an average human needs, so that’s huge.
4. Trees Minimize Your Stress
A Texas A&M study found that looking at trees for five minutes each day has a noticeable effect on diminishing your stress. Being in green, leafy environments is scientifically proven to reduce stress levels and anxiety, and to help to increase an overall sense of well-being. Not to mention, being in and surrounded by green space can help to motivate you to spend more time outside and be more active, which is definitely a win.
5. Trees Require Little Maintenance
An annual checkup is smart, and regular tree trimming is essential for good health, but all told, trees are easier to care for than other greenery.
6. Trees Make Your Home Quieter
Noise pollution is real. Even if you are not on a busy street, having trees blocking the neighborhood or automobile noise can add significantly to your quality of life. More trees might end up equaling more sleep-in mornings!
7. Trees Protect You from the Street
The trees help absorb the emissions from those cars driving by, and the shade produced by tree canopies can reduce street-level temperatures on concrete and asphalt by a noticeable amount, keeping your area cool on sunny summer days.
8. Trees Reduce Your Energy Bills
Planting even one tree that provides shade to your home reduces your energy bills by an average of three percent within five years.
9. Trees Help the Environment
More trees = more oxygen, more places for birds and squirrels to thrive, and less storm runoff. Trees are the best carbon-capture machines on the planet.
10. Trees Increase Your Property Value
The green cover increases your home’s privacy, and buyers love that. The USDA Forest Service says healthy trees can boost your property value by more than 10%. And for good reason! Trees add to the privacy, shade, and beauty of your home while increasing your sense of well-being and helping the environment. That’s a lot of wins!
If you’re in the Cincinnati area and you need help caring for your trees, call us here at Tree Images. We can help with pruning, planning, or removal of your trees. If you’ve got Cincinnati tree questions, we’ve got the answers.
